Equality commission faults Uhuru's diplomatic picks

The National Gender and Equality Commission has said the recent appointments of ambassadors and their deputies lacked gender balance and diversity.

The commission's Chairperson Winnie Lichuma, in a statement, noted that the 20 envoys appointed did not meet the two-thirds gender threshold and lacked representation of youth and persons with disability.

“Unfortunately, the appointments yet again go against the gender equality and inclusion principals as envisaged in the constitution and point a disturbing trend where the state appears to pay lip service to the rule of law and fidelity to the constitution,” read the statement.

The commission urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to show his support to the youth, women and persons with disability by reserving positions for them in his appointments.

Of the 20 appointments made on Friday, only five were women.

Sophie Kadzo Kombe was appointed as Zambia ambassador, with Lucy Chelimo the new envoy to Canada.

Other women appointed included Rukia Sugow as Tehran ambassador, Jean Kamau transferred to Bangkok and Immigration department’s Jane Waikeinda appointed as Deputy Ambassador to Pretoria.

POLITICAL ALLIES

President Uhuru appointed his political allies bringing back Former Finance minister Robinson Githae to be the country’s ambassador to Washington DC.

Lazarus Amayo was appointed to be the new ambassador to London, while former Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere was posted to Dar es Salaam.

Former Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo, a close associate of Land CS Charity Ngilu, was appointed as Kenya’s envoy to Turkey, as Former Moyale MP Mohamud Mohammed. who belongs to the DP’s URP party. was appointed to head the Kenyan mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Mining CS Najib Balala’s long time ally Sheikh Mohamed Dor also landed a job as the ambassador to Muscat, Oman.

Richard Opembe was appointed as the ambassador in Dublin, Dr George Masafu to Kinshasa, Prof Bitok to Khartoum and Joseph Magut to Berlin.

Retired Major-General Jeoff Otieno was appointed as ambassador to Cairo, Galma M Boru to Doha, Isaac Njenga to Windhoek and Dr Karau to Geneva.

Prof George Godia was appointed as the country’s representative to UNESCO as Prof Sam Ongeri received an appointment as the representative to UN Habitat.

The appointments also included transfers of envoys to new stations where Mohamed Gello was posted to Seoul, John Lanasunya to Algiers, Ali Abbas to Kuwait SK Maina to Tokyo Lemorashira to Harare and Joseph Maikara to Luanda.

Bellianda Achieng Omino was appointed deputy ambassador to New Delhi and Aggrey Shitsama to a station to be announced later.