Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei /HANDOUT
Kenya will establish new diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan and the Republic of Congo as part of a wider government plan to reorganise its foreign representation amid changing international priorities and financial pressures.
In a statement on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’oei said the government would open new embassies in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, to strengthen Kenya’s diplomatic presence in the regions identified as strategic priorities.
The move is part of a phased rationalisation of Kenya’s diplomatic footprint, which also involves closing some missions and relocating others.
The government has already identified the Kenyan Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, for closure under the first phase of the exercise.
The ministry said the closure would not affect Kenya’s long-standing relations with Switzerland.
Instead, responsibility for bilateral matters between the two countries will revert to the Kenyan High Commission in London, United Kingdom, as was previously the arrangement.
Kenya will, however, retain its diplomatic presence in Geneva, where its Permanent Mission will continue representing the country at the United Nations and other multilateral organisations hosted in the Swiss city.
The Geneva mission will also provide consular services to Kenyans living in Switzerland after the Bern embassy closes.
The ministry said further information would be provided through the official websites and communication channels of the missions in Bern and Geneva.
The government has also confirmed that the relocation of its diplomatic missions in Haiti and Cuba has already been implemented.
Kenya’s mission in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been moved to Mexico City, Mexico, while its mission in Havana, Cuba, has been relocated to Kingston, Jamaica.
The changes are part of a review guided by the Cabinet and informed by what the ministry described as growing geopolitical complexity, uncertainty, fiscal pressures and competing national development priorities.
Sing’oei said the government was reviewing the need to maintain diplomatic representation against Kenya’s evolving priorities.
He said the rationalisation would be implemented gradually, with minimal disruption to Kenyans living abroad and the country’s international partners.