NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 16 – Three of President William Ruto’s nominees for ambassadorial, high commissioner, and diplomatic posts are set to assume their roles after receiving approval from the National Assembly.
The House endorsed a report tabled by the Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech, clearing the appointments of former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Andrew Karanja (Ambassador to Brazil).
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba (Permanent Representative to UNEP), and former Deputy Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow (Consul-General to Haiti).
However, Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u, the immediate former Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy, declined her nomination as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Accra, Ghana, citing family reasons.
During the debate, Minority Leader Junet Mohammed described the appointments, particularly of those who previously served in the Cabinet, as a “second chance” to demonstrate their capabilities in the new roles.
“Some of the members I see there lets give them a second chance because the first chance failed and then we see how they will perform,” he said.
Mohammed underscored the importance of ensuring that envoy appointments are merit-based, arguing that diplomatic positions are critical and should not be distributed carelessly.
“This is a job that requires special skills,what is a skill that you couldn’t run a ministry and that now you have acquired in the last two weeks so that you can go deal with it in the embassy.This process must be taken seriously,” he remarked.
Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli advocated for policy reforms to ensure that nominees for ambassadorial and diplomatic positions possess the necessary competencies, including proficiency in the language of the host country.
“When I listen to the comment of the chair on nominee Karanja that they appointed him despite the fact that he cant communicate very well, one thing is being omitted which doesn’t happen in western countries is that you can be sent to Portugal and you cant speak portugese!”he exclaimed.
The debate also highlighted concerns about Andrew Karanja’s qualifications, with some lawmakers questioning whether he met the competency threshold, particularly in terms of communication skills.
Gilgil MP Martha Wangari defended Karanja, citing his academic credentials, including a PhD, as evidence of his suitability for the role of ambassador to Brazil.
“I don’t remember anyone saying that Dr Karanja cant communicate in English infact he holds a PHD degree and was very fluent and conversed with the English language.The only issue we had is that he couldn’t communicate in Portuguese,”she expressed.
However, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed dismissed this argument, stating that academic qualifications alone do not guarantee effective communication or proficiency in the English language, which is essential for the role.
“Having a PHD doesn’t mean you know English.The other day in Eldoret there was a university that gave honorary degrees to people ,how can you confirm that those people speak in English,”he noted.
The approved nominees now await formal appointments before assuming their respective diplomatic duties.
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