By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
American actor, filmmaker, and playwright Tyler Perry has expressed regrets for not meeting President William Ruto.
Ruto is in the United States for a three-day visit which he started on Monday.
As part of the visit, the Head of State was at the Tyler Perry’s studios in Atlanta Georgia where he was initially scheduled to meet the filmmaker.
However, when he visited the studios on Tuesday, Tyler Perry was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr, an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian who received him.
Tyler Perry’s absence sparked mixed reactions from Kenyans, some of whom claimed he had snubbed the President.
But in a statement on his Instagram account, the filmmaker said he was heartbroken for not meeting Ruto.
He explained that he would not be able to honour the meeting due to an earlier schedule.
“Unfortunately my schedule was booked and I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t move things around in time to be there to greet President Ruto of Kenya as he and his family and delegation toured Tyler Perry studios,” he said in part of the post.
However, he revealed that he would soon be making a trip to Kenya.
He also expressed his gratitude to President William Ruto for visiting his studios in Atlanta.
“The good news is that means I will have to make my way to Kenya very soon! I am honored, humbled, and thankful that you stopped by President Ruto,” Tyler Perry said.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7RxgNDOHiI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Tyler Perry is the largest production studio in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ruto’s visit comes weeks after he declared the government’s intentions to invest in the development of Kenya’s creative industry.
He also said that his government had signed agreements with top content distribution companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok to help talented youths in the country to commercialize and monetize their content online.
“We have undergone numerous consultations, and I am pleased with the progress we are making. The content creators have been pushing me on this but today, I am glad that we made a step process of monetization,” Ruto said in March 2024.