Kenya Embraces Diaspora Engagement Through Diplomatic Channels

The Kenyan government is making concerted efforts to engage and empower its diaspora community across the globe.

On Wednesday, the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Diaspora Affairs Ms Roseline Njogu, presided over the induction ceremony for newly appointed Kenyan ambassadors, high commissioners, and consuls-general before they assume their respective diplomatic posts. During the engagement held at the KCB Center in Karen, Nairobi, Ms Njogu emphasized the pivotal role that the State Department and the newly appointed envoys play in serving the interests of the Kenyan diaspora.

She reiterated the importance of amplifying the voices of Kenyans living abroad and ensuring their inclusion in national development strategies, service delivery, and policy formulation processes. Recognizing the significant contributions of the diaspora, Ms Njogu restated the need to provide them with a platform to be heard and to facilitate their active participation in Kenya’s socio-economic progress. Additionally, she highlighted the government’s commitment to making it easier, cheaper, and safer for the diaspora to remit funds to their home country.

The Principal Secretary lauded the success of the State Department’s Mobile Consular Services program which has served nearly 10,000 Kenyans in the diaspora during its second phase, with an ongoing third phase. She acknowledged that the implementation of the third phase has provided an opportunity for the newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioners to engage with the diaspora communities in their respective host nations. Furthermore, Ms Njogu highlighted the State Department’s role in the evacuation of Kenyans in distress situations abroad.

She proudly noted that Kenya was the first country in the world to evacuate its citizens from Sudan during the political turmoil in 2023, successfully repatriating 1,170 Kenyans. She also provided an overview of the numerous successful repatriation and medical evacuation operations conducted since the inception of the State Department in December 2022. The interactive session also covered the Diaspora Placement Agency (DPA), a state agency under the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, which aims to source and secure job placements for Kenyans abroad.

Ms Njogu emphasized that with an estimated three to four million Kenyans accounting for approximately 8 per cent of the country’s population living in the diaspora, it is imperative to integrate them into the nation’s socio-economic development agenda. Additionally, the Principal Secretary highlighted the formulation of Kenya’s Global Labour Market Strategy (GLMS), which aims to protect the growing number of Kenyans joining the international labour market, recognizing their creative skills, talents, and work ethics globally.

In response, the newly appointed envoys have pledged to prioritize the interests of Kenya and its citizens, facilitate the opening of new trade routes, support the conveyance of skills and knowledge transfer, source job opportunities, and promote investment back home by the diaspora community.