It looks like Ambassador Purity Muhindi at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm is failing in almost everything. The Kenyan flag is a national symbol and pride of the Nation. It is supposed to be respected and treated with dignity. This is why when you want to register your outermost disgust against a country, you publicly burn the flag of that country. It is the worst action you can take to show a country’s nationals or leadership that they suck.
The National flag flies outside every Embassy. In the case of Kenya Embassy in Stockholm, it serves as a mark of identification of the Embassy as the seat of power as far as the Kenyan government is concerned. These are powerful features of the flag which Ambassador Purity does not recognize because for her, the flag is just another piece of cloth hanging outside the Embassy. Just as the flag is in “disorder”, the Embassy is equally in total chaos.
The picture of our national flag folded around the mast was sent to KSB by a concerned visitor who was searching for the Embassy. He wasn’t sure whether he had arrived at the Kenyan Embassy because something was wrong with the flag and he couldn’t recognize it. Since a picture tells a thousand words, there is no need of going into detail. One certain observation is that as it is, something is wrong with the flag because it is not flying as it should.
The strange aspect of the situation is that the Ambassador is not alone at the Embassy although the flag has been flying in the wrong direction for months. Top personnel who could have helped her straighten the flag or who could have reminded her that something is wrong with the flag are equally blind. It is not therefore strange that when Kenyans come for help at the Embassy when they have been freezing at the Central Station, they are chased away.
We have people like Arthur Amaya Andambi, First Counsellor, who was posted at the Embassy last year. This brother should have been a soldier instead of a diplomat because when you talk to him on the phone, he sounds very militant, as if he wants to beat someone. He probably thinks that he can scare Kenyans with “tough talk” on the phone. Interestingly, when you meet him in person, he is always in a hurry to go and, just like the Ambassador, he doesn’t like mingling with Kenyans.
When he attended the Maina Kiai meeting, we didn’t even know when he sneaked out after the meeting as Kenyans congratulated Kiai for a documentary well done. At the Githongo meeting in Uppsala, Bwana Andambi was so secretive that no one even knew that a top Embassy official was at the function. Naturally one expected him to register his presence with the organizers so that his presence at the function could be recognized and Kenyans who did not know him could take contact.
I had to introduce him at the end of the meeting before he slipped away and left for Stockholm. If you study Andambi’s demeanor carefully, he behaves more like a Security officer than a typical diplomat. He is the second in command but unfortunately, there is nothing new he brought at the Embassy because nothing has improved. Andambi is one man who should remind his boss Lady Ambassador that the Kenyan flag is not flying correctly and that something should be done.
We also have this guy called Daniel Kipkemoi Kottut, the Second Counsellor who was posted at the Embassy in 2007. When he came, there was a lot of hope and expectation that as a young educated man, he would try and pump some sense in the head of the boss but so far, the situation has grown from bad to worse.
“Collective Amnesia”
Kottut had a fantastic introduction to Kenyans by his predecessor, Mr.George Kinywa, but as soon as Kinywa left for Canada, Kottut began to degenerate. He retreated from Kenyans as he began a life of isolation from his people. His problems began after the post election violence.
Although he was initially “attached” to the Bagarmossen Church where Kinywa left him, he fled from the church as Kales began to slaughter Wakikuyu in the Rift Valley following the stealing of Raila Odinga’s Presidency. As a member of the Kalenjin, he could have employed both diplomacy and PR to counter accusations that his people were killing the Kikuyu instead of abandoning the Church.
The Church was mainly dominated by members of the Kikuyu but as the killings continued, Kottut found the heat “too much” and he disengaged. This was the beginning of his isolation from Kenyans in Stockholm because he never recovered. Today, he is miles away from Wakenya although his hands are tied because he also fears his boss, the Ambassador.
He cannot therefore tell her that something is wrong with the flag because Purity might call the real First Lady, Lucy Kibaki, who may instigate Kottut’s exit from the Embassy. Just like other members of Embassy staff, it boils down to the philosophy ya kuchunga unga isimwagike. They pass under the flag at the Embassy on a daily basis but they have never noticed that something is amiss. This is what Sam Pippo call “collective amnesia”.
If the flag issue was falling under Administrative Affairs, the person who could have taken the blame could have been Mrs Anne K.M. Kesekwa aka Mwana wa ingo. She is the Third Secretary in charge of Administrative Affairs, very quiet and underground. If you want to see her outside the office, you have to wait for the two-hour drinking spree at Jamhuri reception and that is once a year. She dabbles as the Ambassador’s Secretary although she gets better marks than her boss because she understands her tasks while she has a good PR strategy. On the phone, she is always very polite, a sign that she has some level of diplomacy.
Then we have Mrs Habiba Gabo Wako aka Msomali Lady whom many Kenyans have complained about. She doesn’t speak good English and as an Attaché in charge of Immigration, she is the person to deal with when you need your Passport issue fixed. If you want to measure the degree of her rudeness, call her and say that you have a problem with your Passport which you need fixed and that’s it.
You will get your doze of rude responses until you begin to scratch your head wondering how a person with such horrible approach on the phone could be posted at the Embassy as an Attaché. Be careful because you may puke at the crude combination of rudeness and bad English coming from a diplomat. If only she could convert her rudeness into a weapon directed against the Ambassador to sort out the problem with our national flag outside the Embassy, she could be more productive.
Despite her informal style and her almost semi-illiterate mien, the processing of passports has actually improved at the Embassy. Now it takes 3-4 weeks to get a passport renewed compared to 6-12 months in 2004. It is a rare occasion when KSB has to give the devil her dues.
Okoth Osewe
About the Author
O.O,your observation on the state at which our flag flies shows that purity`s priority lies somewhere else and that the embassy from now henceforth should be christened as, “THE HOUSE OF PURITY”,your summation of the performance and the mien of the senior staff is an indication that they are scared stiff of purity.O.O, lets begin turning the wheels of purity`s petition and performance index on serious debate sine she just trivialises our presence and needs…moto iwake!!!
Ooh my look at that flag,I am a kenyan damu,and its ashame to see our flag showing like the embassy has lost its head,The person who took this photo thanks for letting kenyan know how the embassy we have in scandinavia is a sleeping one,even us who live in finland has all the complaints directed to this current stuff.its high time they do there job right.
l passed there today and l tell u l wasnt even proud to show my swedish hubby that that was kenyan embassy. Am sorry purity u just making us be ashamed of our nationality…….snälla
We are fighting a battle uncalled for. Leave Purity alone, but we need to ask ourselves, Who is true Obama? Who is true Raila? Check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw
cheers!
Andambi pretends to be a Christian Brother when you first meet him.However, as you keep meeting him at other public functions,you realize he is a cold,distant man, who acts suspiciously and is very elusive.
Honestly, I find Dr. Muhindi (Purity’s husband) more sociable and open-minded at Kenyan public functions.He could have made a better Ambassador.
Kottut is a jigger only saved by his job to make him appear civil. He is the worst hypocrite at the Embassy who switched off his phone once faced with the crisis of the young Kenyans.He should have remained in Rift Valley herding goats.
Purity should not be left alone. If she wanted to be left alone,she should not have accepted such a challenging postion. Anybody who exposes him/herself to public is subject to criticism. She is not exceptional particularly having disgraced herself and Kenyans. What is she thinking by turning a deaf ear to Kenyans? Don’t we deserve to fly our flag with dignity? Among her roles is to represent Kenya. Is she representing our country in an appropriate manner? Definitely no and that is why we need not spare her. Instead we should soon plan a huge demonstration outside our embassy. It is wrong to fly our flag in that manner and she should have rectified the ‘mistake’ and apologise to Kenyans. She is human and bound to make mistakes. Why she has not done that beats logic.
I have not entered the Kenyan embassy in Sweden because i have not had the need to,but i was among those who demonstrated outside the embassy when Raila’s presidency was stolen. Purity did not even bother to come out and address us. Instead she send somebody was it kottut eller vem fan var det?
The manner in which she treated those young boys who arrived in sweden shortly before christmas was heart breaking. It is inhuman to leave a fellow human in problems. Is it not among her duties to protect and defend fellow country men? Was she not in a position to provide accomodation to the boys? I wonder what type of feelings she had while celebrating christmas knowing very well that she had left some Kenyans without a roof on their heads. I wish i knew what was in her mind during that time. Only an evilish person can do that to fellow humanbeings. Courtesy demands that we should treat others in a human manner. All that starts well doesn’t neccessarily end well. Right now she is enjoying her position without thinking that bad times awaits. She doesn’t need to go further than Tigania west where Zakayo Kamenchu lives. Mr Kamenchu was Kenya’s ambassador in Australia between 1984 and 1987. Maore Ithaila standard newspaper,010909 wrote:The hands that used to wield the official seal of Kenya at the Australian High Commission between 1984 and 1987 are now adept at lifting an axe to burst Cyprus blocks! I trully hope that Zakayo was a polite man who only happened to have dialed the wrong codes while Moi was in leadership. I quoted the above since i want Purity to know that it is a high time she humbled herself. kottut on the other hand reminds me of some character in shrek. You know the Zebra? According to Kombe he should be back home herding goats. Goat herding is a demanding task and i doubt if he can manage that. While the people of Rift valley are known to be goat herders,they have good judgement. It seems that Kottut has decided to dance to Purity’s music and losing direction in the process. In that case it would be better for him att stanna hemma och leka med lille medan rumpan och kulor växer.This could be the only jobb meant for him.
KSB: Well said and there is nothing to add.
Chebet you have written what we have always said and more. Osewe also added the name of Mrs Habiba Gabo Wako the Immigration Attaché who is ruthless to the level of some people calling her a racist against those wenye nywele ngumu. She was so rude to me one day I told myself no wonder the Embassy is always at war with Kenya-Stockholmers. Anyway we all pray for dual-citizenship so that many of us will be able to conduct our activities in a better way. We have seen the Embassy clowns come and go and thought the exit of Awuor, Purity’s former Embassy office maid would change things, but no.