U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media in Kiryat Gat, Israel, October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

By Ammu Kannampilly

NAIROBI -U.S. Vice President JD Vance plans to visit Kenya next month after going to a summit in South Africa, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.

There were no immediate details on what Vance might discuss in the East African country, which is one of Washington's closest allies on the continent, and has said it wants to reach a trade deal with the U.S. by the end of this year.

The U.S. designated Kenya a major non-NATO ally in 2024, but Nairobi has also had to fend off criticism from U.S. officials over its forging of deeper ties with China.

"The visit to Kenya will run from November 24 to November 27," the source said, without giving further details.

Vance's office and Kenya's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump is sending Vance in his place to attend the summit of the Group of 20 world leaders in Johannesburg from November 22 to 23.

South Africa, which holds the rotating G20 presidency, will hand over the presidency to the U.S. after the meeting.

(Reporting by Ammu Kannampilly in Nairobi and Jarrett Renshaw in Washington; Editing by Alexander Winning and Andrew Heavens)