UK High Commissioner to Kenya Matt Baugh
The United Kingdom (UK) government has appointed Matt Baugh as its new High Commissioner to Kenya.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 7, the UK government said Baugh will replace Neil Wigan, whose tenure lapsed in August 2025.
“Mr Matt Baugh OBE has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya in succession to Mr Neil Wigan OBE, who has taken up another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Baugh will take up his appointment during April 2026,” the statement read.
Before his appointment to Kenya, Baugh held several senior positions across the UK government and diplomatic service.
From 2024 to 2025, he served as Director for Migration and Conflict at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and as Director for Euro-Atlantic Security from 2022 to 2024.
Baugh also served in Brussels between 2020 and 2022 as Ambassador to the EU Political and Security Committee and later as Director for Political and Security at the UK Mission to the EU.
The new British High Commissioner to Kenya began his career in the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and DFID Fast Stream programs in 1997 and 1998.
Following the appointment, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei welcomed Baugh to Nairobi as he prepares to take the new role.
“Welcome to Nairobi, High Commissioner FCDO Matt Baugh,” Koris posted on his official X account.
Kenya has not had a British High Commissioner since Wigan’s tenure ended in August 2025. Ed Barnett has been acting as the Chargé d’Affaires at the UK Embassy in Nairobi.
Wigan left the role after he was appointed the Director General of Strategy and Delivery at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the United Kingdom.
“I am extremely sorry to be leaving Kenya after a whirlwind two years. The Kenya-UK partnership has gone from strength to strength, whether in trade, investment, technology, innovation, or cultural links, benefiting both countries and peoples,” Wigan said in his farewell message.
