His Excellency Mrs Purity Wakiuri Muhindi, the new Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia, has already arrived in Stockholm and assumed Office. Mrs Muhindi arrived on Monday October 9th following the departure of Mr. Daniel Mukiri Kinyanjui on Sunday October 8th. According to protocol, the two Ambassadors are not supposed to meet when one is assuming office.
Mr. Kinyanjui left Stockholm quietly and his date of departure was kept a tight secret. Although the Kenya Social Forum in Sweden (Kesofo) had planned a farewell party for the out-going Ambassador, the party did not materialize because Mr. Kinyanjui failed to inform Kesofo about his expected date of departure so that the organization could plan the party.
Mr. Kinyanjui was supposed to have left earlier but the death of Kenyan diplomat Mr. James Kiboi in Oslo delayed his departure since there were several official matters he had to sort out on the Kiboi death.
Analysts in Stockholm believe that Mr. Kinyanjui might have decided to skip the Farewell party because of the uncertain and gloomy environment that engulfed Stockholm following Kiboi’s death.
There has been criticism from a cross section of Kenyans in Stockholm after it emerged in Norway that Ambassador Kinyanjui cancelled a meeting that was scheduled for August 25th with a Kenyan delegation from Oslo. The delegation planned to discuss how an alleged conflict between the late Mr. Kiboi and some Kenyans in Oslo could be resolved two weeks before Kiboi perished.
Mr. Kinyanjui has also been accused of having collaborated with police in Oslo to cancel a Press conference by a group of Kenyans who wanted to disclose what they knew about circumstances that surrounded the mysterious death of Mr. Kiboi in a house inferno.
Further, the former Ambassador was accused of being “too economic” with information on the Kiboi death. Many Kenyans who were concerned about what might have happened to Mr. Kiboi had to depend more on Kenya Stockholm Blog for inside information.
Contrary to his promise, Mr. Kinyanjui left Stockholm without telling Kenyans about the content of a police Report about Kiboi’s death or what had happened to the report. KSB has established that the report is ready.
Mr. Kinyanjui’s final year in office has been difficult because he has been unable to balance between growing resentment with the Kibaki government and his position as the representative of the government in scandinavia.
During his final year in office, the former Ambassador surrounded himself with dubious personalities who mainly sympathized with the Kibaki government, a move that was seen as designed to help him cope with pressure from opposition forces that were developing in Stockholm.
Mrs Muhindi is taking office at an equally difficult time when many Kenyans in Stockholm are opposed to the Kibaki administration. She arrives on the eve of the launching of ODM-Scandinavia in Stockholm.
Efforts to reach the new Ambassador have been fruitless as she has mainly been out of Office. At the time of going to Blog, the Ambassador’s Secretary was also out of Office.
Mrs Purity is not new at the Kenyan embassy in Stockholm. During the early 90s, she worked at the Embassy as a diplomat but in a lower capacity.
Mrs Muhindi is a career diplomat who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political science and sociology from University of Nairobi. She is also a holder of a post graduate diploma in International relations and mass communication.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
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