The National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, chaired by Hon. Nelson Koech has commenced the vetting of nominees for ambassadorial, high commissioner and consul-general positions.

The nominees include Hon. Florence Bore (Windhoek, Namibia), Amb. Anthony Muchiri (Ankara, Turkey), Amb. Lucy Kiruthu (Bangkok, Thailand), Mr. Henry Wambuma (Bujumbura, Burundi) and Mr. Abdirashid Salat Abdille (Jakarta, Indonesia).

First to face the Committee was Hon. Florence Bore, former Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Kericho County Woman Representative. She pledged to prioritise economic diplomacy by opening markets for Kenyan agricultural products in Namibia.

“My first focus area would be economic diplomacy. We should engage Namibia more on trade and investments to open our markets, particularly for agricultural produce,” she said.

Committee Members also pressed her on challenges facing Kenyans in Namibia, who currently have to travel to South Africa for consular services. Hon. Bore assured, “If approved, I will work towards bringing services such as passports, IDs and birth certificates closer to our people within Namibia.”

Ambassador Anthony Muchiri, currently the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, was vetted for the position of Ambassador to Turkey. He cited Kenya’s wide trade imbalance with Turkey as a priority area.

“Kenya exports goods worth about USD 23 million to Turkey but imports nearly USD 300 million. This imbalance is unacceptable. I will advocate for reciprocity, push for reduced tariffs on Kenyan tea, and expand exports to include horticulture and other products,” Amb. Muchiri told the Committee.

He also committed to navigating sensitive security concerns such as Turkey’s stance on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), noting: “I will always be guided by Kenya’s national interest.”

Ambassador Lucy Kiruthu, Acting Director General in charge of Political and Diplomatic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, vowed to intensify efforts to curb human trafficking and exploitative recruitment agencies.

Hon. Moses Kirima queried her stance on fake recruitment agencies, while Hon. Abdikadir Mohammed sought her plan for tackling trafficking. He asked, " What are you going to do about the trafficking of our youth and these rouge recruitment agencies?"

“Trafficking of persons to Myanmar and other countries requires stronger preventive measures at home. We must raise awareness among youth, prosecute rogue recruiters, and work with governments to repatriate victims,” she said.

She noted that Kenya and Thailand’s joint membership in the UN Human Rights Council could be leveraged to advance cooperation on labour rights and counter-trafficking efforts.

The nominee for Ambassador to Burundi, Mr. Henry Wambuma highlighted the need to attract Burundi back to the Port of Mombasa, which has diminished in favour of Dar es Salaam.

“After the refurbishment of the Port of Dar es Salaam, Burundi shifted preference. But with Kenya’s investment in the Naivasha in land port, I will work to attract Burundi back,” he said.

On Kenya’s regional role, Mr. Wambuma emphasised: “Kenya’s hand is visible within the region. We have been at the forefront of peace initiatives in Somalia, Burundi and the DRC, and we continue to honour our commitments to regional bodies.”

The fifth nominee to appear before the Committee, Mr. Abdirashid Abdille, pledged to focus on boosting agricultural exports such as tea and miraa to Indonesia while deepening bilateral ties.

“I will prioritise strengthening trade and investment with Indonesia, protecting Kenyans working there, and ensuring we benefit from their lessons in industrialisation and agriculture,” he told the Committee.

The vetting exercise continues tomorrow, Thursday 4th September 2025.