New Kenyan envoy sent to London

Kenya has posted a new high commissioner to the United Kingdom. Ephraim Waweru Ngare, 60, was transferred from Libya, where he was the ambassador. Mr Ngare arrived in London on Friday morning on a flight from Nairobi accompanied by his wife.

His arrival comes a week after the Sunday Nation highlighted the confusion at the London mission over the recall of high commissioner Joseph Muchemi. But the government remained mum over Mr Ngare’s appointment.

Information posted on the official commission website says he is the new high commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland and Switzerland.

Knowledgeable sources said Mr Ngare was appointed to the prestigious diplomatic job in early October. It is unclear as to why the government has not made the appointment public.

“Announcing the appointment is a formality at the discretion of the appointing authority,” said a well-placed diplomatic source at the mission.

Normally, a despatch from the Presidential Press Service (PPS) or a press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would announce such a high-profile appointment.

The appointment of high commissioners and ambassadors is a prerogative of the President. Addison Chebukaka, who has been the acting high commissioner, said he had handed over to the new envoy.

Born in Nyeri in 1949, Mr Ngare graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and government from Makerere University, Uganda, in 1973.

He also holds a post-graduate diploma in labour and public administration from the University of Oxford and a similar qualification in industrial relations from Australia.