The Kenya-Stockholm blogs have continuously voiced support, complaints and accusations against Ambassador Purity Wakiuru Muhindi since her 2006 posting to the Kenya Embassy in Stockholm. Unfortunately, the complaints and accusations outweigh the praises, and focus on her biased social relations with the Kenyan community in Stockholm.
There is no doubt that Ambassador Muhindi is diligent and delivers at the official level. However, she lacks social skills and the guts to face Kenyans who criticize her hide and seek tactics used to keep them from interacting with her. The Ambassador is paid by Kenyan taxpayers’, so no matter what challenges she faces within the Kenyan community, she needs to tackle them boldly.
Her selective system of inviting guest students and a few permanent Kenyan residents to embassy functions, clearly reflects her way of thinking: to lure and control them using food and drinks. This only silences them to remain uncritical (yes people), because they probably need favors like using the diplomatic bag to send goods to Kenya, and getting contacts to nurse their pipe dreams for future jobs. Most guest students have no grasp of happenings among the Kenyans who reside permanently in Sweden.
Some Kenyans suggest that since her husband is a university don, Ambassador Muhindi has acquired a snobbish attitude towards the local Kenyans whom she despises for not matching her elite status. This is not only in line with the social stratification in Kenya, but also a sign of ignorance on her part because Sweden remains stratified for immigrants, so many Kenyans cannot meet her expectations regardless of their competencies.
The Ambassador is a double-faced representative who is perceived to be socially-unskilled among Kenyans, yet acquires a socialite wannabe attitude among non-Kenyans. It is noted that she routinely entertains and gets entertained by non-Kenyans, travels to promote Kenyan interests and acquires personal knowledge by attending seminars and conferences.
It is poor PR (public relations) for Mrs. Muhindi to avoid socializing with Kenya-Stockholmers despite the infamous cases of Messrs. Njenga and Cheruiyot, not to mention the former cook that she sacked. Instead, she should use her training in “International Relations” and diplomacy to end the impasse with the Kenyans, by organizing public meetings and listening to their grievances. These Kenyans are not terrorists who cannot be negotiated with or listened to. Another strategy would be to gather her “blog critics” at the Embassy’s boardroom and ask what they really want. When you meet your supposed enemy face-to-face, you get to use your charm and skills to disarm them. Meanwhile, this could be very good PR to write on the embassy’s dormant website: “Ambassador Muhindi meets with the Kenya-Stockholm Bloggers”; but the website does not spin a yarn.
What if the Ambassador organized a session at her official residence (which is paid for by the Kenyans) and instead of all that binge eating and drinking, she offered non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, then presented various topics for debate? No matter how rowdy the audience would be, it could be a first step towards interacting with them.
The Kenyan Diaspora finances families, businesses and projects in Kenya through direct remittances. This is an area of global interest and the Ambassador could score highly by establishing a local Kenyan group to explore and contribute to this discourse at the official level. This would be in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030 on national development. A draft paper on how to maximize the potential of the Kenyan Diaspora was published in Kenya and the Ambassador could present this to Kenyans through a short speech, and then note relevant comments for feedback. However, her interactions depict a selective syndrome because she invites the same Kenyans who are only too happy to blog that they had a great evening with the Ambassador, “eating and drinking without any incident, so woe unto those who boycotted.” It is smarter to belch or regurgitate knowing that one’s input is not only in food and drinks, but also in developmental matters. Such Kenyans brag in pubs that they normally hobnob with Purity (note the first name basis).
Ambassador Muhindi’s tour of duty may soon be ending, given the political wrangle between ODM and PNU concerning the next diplomatic appointments. What legacy will she leave in Stockholm? I wrote above that she has a good record among non-Kenyans in diplomatic circles and other institutions in Sweden and elsewhere. However, many Kenya-Stockholmers will remember her for the negative stories and rumors available on various blogs.
Maximising the Potential of the Kenyan Diaspora: http://www.kenyadiaspora.go.ke/web_pages/DRAFT_SESSION_PAPER.pdf
Maalim Sabaya
About the Author
According to some Kenya-Stockholm blogs, Ambassador Purity Muhindi interacts frequently with a select group of Kenyans while keeping the rest out of the loop. A quick check at the so-called “Embassy of Kenya-Stockholm” Website, indicates that it is a Blogsite which does not contain current speeches or information concerning other Nordic countries as represented by their posted flags. There is also no information emphasizing the importance of the Kenyan Diaspora according to the “Presidential Circular No. 1/2007.”
The blog designer, “Safimedia”, needs to step up because Kenya-Stockhomers are missing out on updates from the embassy. Meanwhile, the embassy can save so much money by employing a regular staffer who is also tech savvy to deal with Web information.
Below, compare the blogsite of Kenya Embassy in Stockholm with other Kenya embassy Websites and you will notice that even the High Commission in New Delhi looks better. There are so many corporate blogsites with good designs and information, so why can’t Safimedia redesign the emabassy’s site to look better? If Ambassador Muhindi does not want to interact face-to-face with the larger Kenya-Stockholm community, then she should oversee the management of the embassy’s blogsite by ordering frequent updates.
Embassy of Kenya, Sweden: http://kenyaembassystockholm.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Kenya High Commission, UK: http://www.kenyahighcommission.net/
Kenya Embassy, Washington, DC: http://www.kenyaembassy.com/
Kenya Embassy in Japan: http://www.kenyarep-jp.com/kenya/government_e.html
Kenyans in Japan: http://www.kenyarep-jp.com/kenyans/diaspora_e.html
Kenya High Commission, Canada: http://www.kenyahighcommission.ca/
Kenya Embassy, Germany: http://www.embassy-of-kenya.de/
Embassy of Kenya, Italy: http://www.embassyofkenya.it/
Kenya High Commission, India: http://www.kenyamission-delhi.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=103&parent_id=103&parent_name=Home
Mr.Maalim that is an interesting analysis of Purity’s character.I get an impression that she is arrogant. Her name has been dragged through mud on more occasions than i could recall,each time damaging the high grounds of Kenyans.She should not resent Kenyans for latching her,instead she should listen to their frantic pleas. Purity should say something in her own defense.She knows that Kenyans have some sort of axes to grind over why they are not receiving the sort of treatment they expected from her.If she went by your suggestions i think that might settle the dust before her frankincense stops burning in Scandinavia!
Dear Ms. Chebet,
Thanks for your kind words that I fully agree with. Ambassador Muhindi knows very well that her services to Kenyans need to be all inclusive and not just selective to please a cross section in Scandinavia. If she does not want face-to-face interactions, then she needs to get a tech-savvy person to manage the Kenya Embassy blog with updated information like those shown on other Missions websites. I question her sense of leadership if she can only listen to the judgment of a few Kenyans, yet disparage the rest.
Ambassador Muhindi needs to stay above the virtual fray on Kenyan blogs and show leadership among Kenyans in real life. Other past Ambassadors interacted with the general Kenyan public regardless of arising controversies during their tour of duty.
Why on earth should somene get such a name ” PURITY ”
Is she real or a clone ?
Hello amangana #4,
Not bad to ask about the meaning of Ambassador Muhindi’s first name. Nevertheless, note that KSB avoids personal issues and that is why the discussions about Purity focus on her social relations with Kenyans.
Please let us desist from personal attacks and engage in matters that concern our Kenya-Stockholm community.