Mudavadi reverses policy on communication with embassies

Foreign diplomats will no longer communicate directly with certain government departments in Kenya, reversing a policy adopted earlier this year to cut red tape.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi told an audience of diplomats in Nairobi on Monday that his office would remain the focal point for interactions between Kenya and the outside world, and that future communications would have to go through the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

“Going forth, all correspondences with the government shall be transmitted through the Office of the Chief of Protocol, State Department of Foreign Affairs.

“We believe that this review will allow for a more coherent approach to issues of mutual concern and we seek your kind cooperation on this matter,” he said at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi.

Mudavadi was addressing the diplomats at a luncheon, his first with foreign envoys since he took over the docket of Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs last month.

Previously, under a directive by President William Ruto, diplomats representing foreign missions were allowed to deal directly with ministries of interest, which State House argued was to cut red tape and delays.

But Mudavadi says this has since been reviewed to improve the coherence of government communications.

In fact, Kenya's policy change earlier this year was a slight departure from the global tradition, where a central government department often coordinates correspondence with foreign entities, as per the 1961 Vienna Convention.

Nonetheless, Mudavadi said the government was engaging everyone in the world to support government programmes such as the Bottom-up policy.

These engagements, he argued, were aimed at everyone in Africa, Asia and Australasia, Europe, the Americas and Latin America, and the Middle East.

“We believe in the power of partnerships,” he said, promising to continue discussions with other countries on easing visa restrictions.

“We will keep having bilateral discussions with you about our nations' restrictive visa policies and laws, as well as any other administrative restrictions that could impede safer and more constructive travel.

“Kenya is persuaded that this is the best way to address difficult and challenging global issues.”

Mudavadi also defended Kenya's acceptance to lead a police mission in Haiti, describing it as a demonstration of responsibility on the global stage.

"To be African is to have global responsibility…which is why we have consistently risen to the occasion whenever peace and security in our region and beyond is threatened,” he said.

According to Mr Mudavadi, Kenya has a history of intervening in conflict situations because peace and security are crucial to any economic progress.

But Kenya's deployment plans, which now await parliamentary approval, have been met with controversy. A Kenyan lawyer, Ekuru Aukot, has challenged the deployment and won a stay of execution on the grounds that Nairobi's move violates the constitution. He has also argued that the mission does not serve Kenya's direct interests but those of its main financier, the US.

But the Kenyan cabinet went further, approving the deployment of the mission, to be known as the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti, which will include up to 1,000 Kenyan police officers.

Mudavadi told diplomats that the mission would need financial and logistical support from other countries to be successful. At least 10 other countries have pledged to send personnel, and the US is funding the mission to the tune of $200 million, with Canada helping to train the troops.