Tibaijuka demotion tests EA relations

This week’s demotion of Tanzania’s top diplomat at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) has soured relations between Kenya and Tanzania, the Sunday Nation has learnt.

Mrs Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, a Tanzanian national who headed the Nairobi office until last Sunday, was replaced by Achim Steiner, the United Nations Environmental Programme boss in Nairobi.

Relations between the two neighbouring nations, also members of the East African Community, are reported to be troubled following her demotion.

Tanzania made frantic efforts to ensure Mrs Tibaijuka was not demoted, including sending the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

These efforts were augmented by those of African diplomats in Nairobi and employees at the UN Nairobi office pleading with Mr Ban not to replace her.

The efforts failed and Mr Steiner sent a memo to all members of staff to alert them that Mr Ban had designated him as the Director General of UNON effective March 1, 2009.

Some employees at the Gigiri complex who refused to be named for fear of antagonising their superiors said Mrs Tibaijuka was seen to have favoured one of the Grand Coalition members, a key factor in her demotion.

Mrs Tibaijuka has been in Nairobi since 2001 when she was named to head UN-Habitat and later promoted to Director General of UNON in September 2006.

According to correspondence in our possession, the move to clip her wings began last September after the UN General Assembly in New York.

Kenya’s role

Kenya is accused of playing a key role in having the Tanzanian replaced after it proposed to Mr Ban that the Nairobi office be elevated, with an independent Director General who is not linked to any of the two programmes, Unep and UN-Habitat, heading it.

Tanzania believes that those who wanted Mrs Tibaijuka out exploited this proposal to kick her out.

But as early as last November, African ambassadors in Nairobi were concerned that there was an attempt to have Mrs Tibaijuka replaced.

Writing on behalf of heads of diplomatic missions in Nairobi, Mozambique permanent representative to Unep and UN-Habitat, Mr Marcos Namashulua, pleaded with Mr Ban not to demote the Tanzanian diplomat.

The dean of African diplomats in Nairobi cautioned that the abrupt demotion of Mrs Tibaijuka would cast her negatively.

“You may recall that her appointment was made in spite of attempts by some elements to discredit her,” Mr Namashulua said, adding that her removal would vindicate attacks against her.

The envoy further said that her removal, coming just days after a multi-billion-shilling scandal in which she had no involvement, would indicate that she had failed in her management role.

Mr Namashulua said Mr Steiner would find it difficult “to operate with the trust and confidence of some staff and delegates.”

In a second letter to Mr Ban on February 26, 2009, the Mozambican diplomat lamented that the policy of removing one executive head only to be replaced by another would create problems.

“We foresee it would only serve to spoil an otherwise harmonious relationship between the executive heads operating from this duty station,” said Mr Namashulua.

He said that since the Secretary General had failed to create an independent Director General as requested by Kenya, Mrs Tibaijuka should be allowed to conclude her term.

The president of staff at UNON, Ms Rhoda Atana, writing to the UN boss on the same day, said the Nairobi office was tense over rumours of the imminent removal of Mrs Tibaijuka as the Director General.

Ms Atana said the Tanzanian diplomat had headed UNON well before violence broke out in Kenya after the 2007 General Election.

Mrs Tibaijuka was the only woman appointed a director general of a UN duty station.

“We, therefore, believe her removal from office would be against the principles of gender balance that you have been promoting,” Ms Atana told Mr Ban.

Mr Ban had in January said there were no plans to have an independent director general named for Nairobi.

He said the position did not exist and member states had not provided resources for it.

Angry employees

It came as a surprise last month when word went round that Mr Steiner was taking over from Mrs Tibaijuka, whose tenure was to end in 2010.

Employees at Gigiri held a silent gathering at the complex to express their concern over the demotion.

Another demonstration was held in Kibera where UN-Habitat is supporting a slum upgrading project together with the government.

The UN-Habitat boss did not appear at any of the two functions although a close ally of the diplomat told the Sunday Nation that she was “devastated” by the demotion.

Mrs Tibaijuka left Nairobi for Liberia on Thursday night with the final destination for her trip said to be New York.

She is expected to confer with Mr Ban but sources in her office declined to reveal the reasons for her New York trip.