At least 70 per cent of appointed envoys will be career diplomats once the Sessional Paper on Kenya Foreign Policy is operationalised, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said.
The other 30 per cent will be political appointees, but the individuals will have to posses relevant experience in diplomacy and international relations, Mudavadi, who is also in charge of the Foreign Affairs ministry, told the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Affairs at the County Hall in Nairobi on Wednesday.
“We have integrated this issue in the sessional paper to ensure professionalism is maintained. We do not want foreign affairs to become a dumping ground. We want to put our best foot forward in international representation,” the PCS told the committee.
This will be a departure from the current situation where political rejects have often been offered a soft landing in Foreign Service.
In December last year, President William Ruto dumped more former Cabinet Secretaries in the Foreign Service, nominating CS Prof Margaret Ndung’u (ICT) and Dr Andrew Karanja (Agriculture) to serve as envoys to Ghana and Brazil respectively. The two barely served in their dockets for half a year, having been sworn in on August 8. Ndung’u declined the posting but Ndung’u has been posted to Brazil.
This was a continuation a practice by Ruto and his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, to appoint political rejects and fired CSs to foreign service.
Mudavadi, however, told the legislators that Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2025 will anchor Kenya’s foreign policy in law, making it more citizen-centred and transparent.
This he argued would be a change away from conventional, opaque international relations to a more transparent, accountable strategy that prioritised Kenyan interests. He said the revised policy reflected pragmatism and a long-term vision in the face of global change.
“Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2025 on Kenya’s Foreign Policy seeks to ensure inclusivity in policy formulation by recognizing the critical role of various actors in shaping and advancing the country’s foreign policy; and to broaden the scope of Kenya Foreign Policy 2014 from the five pillars of peace diplomacy, economic diplomacy, environmental diplomacy, diaspora diplomacy, and cultural diplomacy to include areas such as health and technology diplomacy.
“The Sessional Paper also aims to boost Diaspora and Economic diplomacy, with County governments and Kenyans living abroad playing an important role in advancing the country’s foreign policy goals,” the ministry said.
The Cabinet Secretary further advocated for integrating the Foreign Affairs docket within the National Security Council to enhance its critical operations.
On Diaspora diplomacy, Mudavadi urged Parliament to assist in enacting rules that would safeguard Kenyans working abroad and provide legal aid to those imprisoned abroad.
Senator Fatuma Dullo of Isiolo chaired the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
