- The Kenyan government has approved the establishment of embassies in Vietnam, Denmark, and Vatican City to expand its diplomatic reach around the world.
- The Kenyan Mission in Vatican City is expected to strengthen ties with Catholic development organizations that support thousands of schools and health centers across Kenya.
- The move, according to the Cabinet, is also in line with President Ruto’s Economic Transformation Agenda and Kenya’s growing role in international peace and humanitarian efforts.
Nairobi is increasing its efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations and expand its presence around the world for the benefit of Kenyans.
Source: Twitter
The Cabinet approved the creation of three new embassies in Asia and Europe.
President William Ruto chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, November 11, where it was decided that Kenyan embassies should be established in the capitals of Vietnam, Denmark and Vatican City.
However, the emphasis was on Vatican City.
Why is William Ruto’s government interested in collaborating with Vatican City?
In addition to strengthening diplomatic relations with the country, Nairobi is seeking to use Vatican City’s development agencies to accelerate the implementation of Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation (BETA) Agenda in key areas such as education and health services.
The Council of Ministers noted that the Roman Catholic Church, whose headquarters are in Vatican City, has already proven its ability to bring about effective change through the institutions that operate in the country, including schools.
“This move will increase collaboration with Catholic development agencies that run more than 7,700 schools and 500 health centers in Kenya, supporting the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda through expanded partnerships in education, health services, and social welfare,” a statement from the Council of Ministers said.
With Ruto seeking to position himself as a peacemaker in the regional and international environment, the Cabinet appreciated the Vatican’s prominence in peace-making missions and climate change interventions, among other important diplomatic matters.
For that reason, the Cabinet noted that the embassy in the smallest country in the world will strengthen Kenya’s efforts to establish its presence in humanitarian affairs in the world.
“Vatican City, which is the headquarters of the Vatican and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, has a great influence in international peace, dialogue, and humanitarian affairs. The resident embassy will strengthen bilateral relations, increase cooperation in peace building, climate change measures, humanitarian programs, and strengthen cooperation with the international network of religious institutions of the Vatican,” the message added.
As indicated earlier, Kenya is also interested in establishing relations with Denmark and Vietnam for trade and diplomacy in an effort to promote its (Kenya’s) strategic interests on the international stage.
How important are ambassadors?
In addition to the setback in trade and strategic diplomacy, the lack of ambassadors in the countries mentioned above has been detrimental to Kenyans who are in dire need of embassy services.
Source: Twitter
An example comes from when Kenyan Margaret Nduta faced the death penalty in Hanoi after being found guilty of drug trafficking.
Nairobi faced difficulties in negotiating with the Vietnamese authorities due to the fact that Kenya does not have an embassy there.
With the issue continuing to be complicated and the clock ticking towards Nduta’s execution, the Kenyan government had to send its delegation to Thailand to negotiate on behalf of the government.
A team from Bangkok presented Kenya’s petition and successfully questioned the legitimacy of Nduta’s case; his death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Another case that emphasizes the importance of diplomatic missions was that of Stephen Munyakho, another Kenyan convicted of a serious crime outside the country’s borders.
Munyakho was to be hanged in Saudi Arabia after being found guilty of murder. Kenya intervened, while its communication with the government of Saudi Arabia through the Kenyan embassy in Jeddah bore fruit.
The government negotiated that Munyakho should be released in exchange for blood money to be paid to the family of the deceased.
Meanwhile, as Kenya expands its presence around the world, the cash crisis is affecting its neighbor to the northwest, South Sudan, which has decided to close its embassies.
Why South Sudan closed its embassy in Nairobi
The South Sudan Embassy in Kenya ceased operations after being closed due to unpaid rent.
The embassy left its offices at Senteu Plaza in the Kilimani area of Nairobi following the closure of the building on Friday, November 7.
Reports indicate that the embassy owes more than one year’s rent, amounting to KSh 1.2 million every month, causing the landlord to close the building and the ambassador to return to Juba.
Read ENGLISH VERSION
Do you have an exciting story that you would like us to publish? Please contact us via news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
