File image of President William Ruto.
The Government has announced a shift change in the country’s foreign policy by allowing other countries and their missions in Kenya to engage directly with ministries and state agencies without going through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, direct communication between state agencies and foreign missions will increase efficiency.
“Whereas the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations entrusts all official business with the receiving state to be conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has been agreed in the interest of efficiency that the missions may communicate directly with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government of Kenya without going through the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The statement added that if a foreign nation wishes to engage more than one ministry at the same time, such communication should go through Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s office.
The policy shift has been interpreted as a move to limit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ powers.
File image of CS Alfred Mutua.
However, according to CS Mutua the move is aimed at cutting bureaucratic red-tape.
“The reason for the memo is removing bureaucratic bottlenecks that hinder completion of MoUs and other important negotiations with the diplomatic community,”Mutua says.
This comes as President Ruto is trying to consolidate his foreign policy, which, according to experts, will be centered on the economy, investments, and the export of human capital, which is expected to generate up to Ksh1 trillion in remittances.
Also Read: US Ambassador Issues Statement After President Ruto’s Stand on LGBTQ
