National Assembly approves Uhuru’s list of diplomats

President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to formally appoint 21 individuals as high commissioners and ambassadors to Kenya’s missions abroad after the National Assembly approved their nomination.

The Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, in a report tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday, recommended that the House approves their nomination, a request that was acceded to by the House sitting in plenary after Speaker Justin Muturi put the matter to a vote.

“Having considered the suitability, capacity and integrity of the nominees, the committee recommends that the National Assembly approves the nomination and subsequent appointment by the President,” the committee stated in its report.

Before President Kenyatta formally appoints the envoys, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to undertake administrative processes that are quite elaborate which, among others, include preparing a dispatch for all the envoy designates.

After letters of appointment have been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the envoy designates are supposed to undergo a mandatory induction course.

Thereafter, their credentials will be dispatched to the receiving countries by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If there is no objection, the head of state or government of the receiving country formally accepts the credentials, which marks the envoys’ start of duty.

Mentioned adversely

In the report to the House, the committee noted that the nominees demonstrated their experience in accordance with the requirements of the law and that none of them had been charged in court or mentioned adversely in a parliamentary committee report or commission of inquiry in the last three years.

“All the nominees satisfy the requirements of the constitution in that they do not intend to participate in any other gainful employment,” the committee’s report reads.

The House team also established that none of the nominees has been dismissed from office on the question of conflict of interest under the Leadership and Integrity Act.

In the list of nominees are 10 individuals as ambassadors, 10 as high commissioners, and two nominated as Kenya’s permanent representatives to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and the Intergovernmental Authority and Development (Igad).

Those approved for the jobs include outgoing Clerk of the National Assembly Michael Sialai (Namibia), former ICT Principal Secretary Bitange Ndemo (Belgium) and Ms Mary Mugwanja to Vienna, Austria.

There is also Ms Muthoni Gichohi (Beijing, China), Mr Gathoga Chege (Cuba), Mr Salim Salim (Djibouti) and Maj-Gen A.G. Matiiri (Egypt).

The committee noted that the 2014 case against Dr Ndemo in relation to the sale of the Malili Ranch land was an abuse of the criminal justice system and in contravention of his constitutional rights and freedoms.

The committee’s position is based on the findings of the court, which held that the case against the former PS amounted to selective, and therefore discriminatory prosecution, and a gross abuse of the process of the court.

The others are Clement Kiteme (Angola), Mr Galma Boru (Indonesia), Mr Paul Ndung’u (Mozambique), Maj-Gen Andrew Ikenye (Nigeria), Ms Margaret Shava (Netherlands), Ms Amina Abdalla (Oman), Ms Nyambura Kamau (Pakistan), Mr Boniface Mwilu (Qatar) and Mr Michael Oyugi (Spain).

Also set to be appointed are Maj-Gen (Rtd) Thomas Chepkuto (Somalia), Mr Leonard Boiyo (Turkey), and Maj-Gen (Rtd) George Owinow (Uganda).

Prof Richard Bosire and Maj-Gen (Rtd) Charles Gituai are set to be appointed as Kenya’s permanent representatives to Unesco and Igad, respectively.