Kenya Stockholm Blog

Jokes Aside, Ambassador Purity’s Recall Is Long Overdue

Kenyans can continue to make jokes about Ambassador Purity Muhindi whose headquarters is the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm but the reality is that Purity is one Ambassador whose recall from Stockholm is long overdue.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister designate Raila Odinga has just announced that the Cabinet will be named on Sunday the 6th but the problem with this Cabinet is that PNU has retained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is in charge of posting Ambassadors to different countries through the Office Of The President.

For Purity, this is a big advantage because her posting in Stockholm was influenced by Lucy Kibaki, the First Lady, and since Lucy is not going anywhere, getting Purity out of Stockholm might prove to be a daunting task unless some miracle happens.

By retaining the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the diplomatic postings might not be affected much and Kenyans might have to make do with Purity until a new government is elected in Kenya.

If there is some luck and the Coalition parties decide to share diplomatic postings out of “good will”, then the Bagarmossen Chuch in Stockholm might have to engage in deep prayers that ODM bags the “Stockholm diplomatic docket” because that is the only other hope of getting Purity out of the way.

Another option would be for Kenyans to begin an open campaign calling for Purity’s recall using the multiple scandals she has created at the Embassy as legitimate grounds. This strategy may be long drawn because it might mean getting the case of Purity before politicians who are ready to take it to Parliament on grounds that Kenya cannot have an Ambassador who is irresponsible and less tuned when it comes to basic diplomatic responsibilities.

Purity has been treating her own countrymen like animals, if not strangers. Corruption at the Embassy calls for an investigation by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission while her relationship with Kenyans in Sweden is extremely poor. Under the circumstances, her role as a personality who should be promoting Kenya abroad is greatly undermined.

THIEVES DOING BUSINESS AT KENYA EMBASSY
Purity is a big let down to Kenyan women because the example she is giving while in a position of leadership undermines the struggle for gender equality in Kenya. It is easy for male chauvinists to use the poor performance of Purity to allege that Kenyan women are not fit as Ambassadors. After rising to Office through nepotism, Purity has continued to practice tribalism at the Embassy thereby disappointing Kenyans who expected her to show maturity in leadership.

Purity is from Nyeri and within the Kikuyu community, she has been accused of practicing “regionalism” to an extent that she abhors Kikuyus from other regions of Kenya.

Hopes of Kenyans ever engaging in joint work with the Embassy have waned because Purity has frustrated all efforts to engage the Embassy. She has routinely boycotted Kenyan functions while attending public functions of other nationalities in Stockholm.

Last year, she attended a Ugandan function in Kista while she was also spotted dancing herself senseless at a function that was organized by the Sudanese in Stockholm. She has, in the past, been invited to Kenyan functions but she has refused to attend, giving all types of excuses.

Although officials like Jenipher Awuor have insisted that the “Embassy is open to all Kenyans”, experience has proved that the Embassy is only open to foreigners seeking visas and other favours which carry kick backs and other illegal financial benefits.

Getting Purity on the phone has been “mission impossible” and the problem now is that she has infected Awuor with her three “Tele-diseases” namely “On another line”, “Out of office” and “Will call you back”. Awuor is the second senior-most Official at the Embassy after Purity and before, one used to get through to her. Now, she is suffering from “will call you back” syndrome. The Embassy should not get rabbid about Kenyans seeking information from the Mission unless they are engaged in illegal activities.

A Kenyan who convinced a Swedish business partner went to the Embassy to discuss how they could set up a business in Kenya. Later, the Embassy tried to side-line the Kenyan by trying to deal with the Swede directly in a deal that the Kenyan said, was eventually dumped by the Swede because of “Kick back problems”. “You don’t have an Embassy. You just have thieves doing business in the name of an Embassy”, the Swede later told the Kenyan.

Regardless of the nature of the Coalition government in Kenya, the case of Purity needs to be taken up at a more serious level because writing in the blogs may provide information but if there is no serious campaign to get Purity out of Stockholm because of God Fathers or God Mothers in Kenya, she might be around for the next several months, much to the detriment of the Kenya-Stockholm interests.

Okoth Osewe

April 3, 2008 Posted by makozewe | Diaspora | Leave a Comment