Jamhuri Pix: The Small World of Kottut at the Embassy

If the Post-Election-Violence (PEV) converted some Kenyans into IDPs, the impact in the world of Mr. Daniel Kottut is that he was converted into a hostage at the Kenyan Embassy. Unfortunately, no one has been able to rescue Mr. Kottut and this explains why he has been hiding in a spider hole at the Embassy.

As a young man who had just been posted to turbulent Kenya-Stockholm, Kottut was very ambitious. He was given a shot in the arm by his predecessor, Mr. George Kinyua, who introduced him to key personalities who could help him find his way around Kenya-Stockholm life.

The new diplomat learnt stuff very quickly and soon, he was attending Kenyan parties at Norsborg and other environs. Mr. Kinyua left him on the hands of the Bagarmossen Church aka Life Ministries International whose Prezzo is Pastor Samsom Kariuki. By then, Brother Githuku wa Muirani was also playing a very prominent role in the church with his most notable project having been a fund raising to help victims of PEV in Kenya.

Kottut’s problems in Kenya-Stockholm can be said to have started at the Bagarmossen church. The explanation is simple. Kottut hails from the Kalenjin community (Wakale) and in Kenya, Wakale were chasing Wakikuyu from the Rivft Valley, in the process, burning their houses and killing them en masse. The Bagarmossen church was by then dominated by Wakikuyu and suddenly, it began to emerge that Kottut (who had joined the church) was being seen more as a Kale (whose brethren were killing Wakikuyu) than as a diplomat who worked at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm.

Fitting in the church soon became very complicated for Kottut and when Wakikuyu were burnt alive in a church in Eldoret, Kikuyu fundamentalists at Bagarmossen seized on the opportunity to begin isolating Kottut proper. As a diplomat, he soon sensed the “bad blood” that was all around him and he quit to retreat at the Embassy. Kottut never recovered from this experience which closed down the only door through which he could reach out to the wider Kenyan community in Stockholm. In fact, one could feel sorry for him although nothing could be done to help him.

A key weakness of Kottut is that he is not like the late Mr. Kiboi or former diplomat Mr. Julius Mwandembo who were “self-made” diplomats. Just like Mwandembo, Kiboi did not benefit from any dramatic introduction in Stockholm but once the two hit the ground, they began to use their inter-personal skills to open their own routes through which they could reach out to Kenyans. Despite his serene posture, Kottut lacks the social skills to penetrate the Kenya-Stockholm crowd and this has been his Achilles’ heel.

Kottut chilling in the frying pan
Of cause, both Kiboi and Mwandembo passed through some Kenyans but the intro was brief. Mwandembo was introduced to a Kenyan operative by his predecessor, former diplomat Francis Mwongo and when Mwandembo was himself leaving, he introduced Kinyua to his “good contacts”. Kottut cannot claim that he was never given the “tools of survival” in Stockholm because Kinyua did walk him around. At Kinyua’s farewell Party that was organized by the Bagarmossen church, Kottut was well presented.

However, after the PEV, Kottu lost it and later, settled for a life of isolation, only commuting between his residence and the Kenyan Embassy. This was a big mistake. We can report that Kottut is a victim of circumstances because once his initial base at Bagarmossen was wiped out by PEV, he could not recoup to join the alternative camp that was populated by ODM supporters. The problem was that this group viewed the Embassy staff as representatives of Kibaki who had stolen the vote as they organized protest actions around the Kenyan Embassy. Under the circumstances, it was unlikely that Kottut could have been welcomed in this camp.

At the moment, it will be difficult for Kottut to find his way back to Kenyans because he has been away for too long. Any come-back attempts could meet with suspicion because the basic question likely to find its way in the mouths of many Kenya-Stockholmers is: “Where has he been?”

Somehow, Kottut’s only inspiration (which keeps him going) is the consolation that his boss, Ambassador Purity Muhindi, is even in a worse situation. To put it simply, Kottut is better off because he is in the frying pan while Purity, his boss, is in the fire. Despite his distance from Kenyans, Kottut is rarely roasted (especially at KSB) which prefers the much vulnerable Purity by virtue of her multiple gaffes at the Embassy.

Sometimes, Purity gets back on track but within the twinkle of an eye, she derails again without notice. It is at such times when you wake up in the morning to find that Jamhuri is being celebrated in an isolated coffee shop in Copenhagen! When she gets back on track with Jamhuri at Hotel Plaza in Stockholm after attacks at KSB, you get there and discover that there is neither Tusker nor Withiky.

For Kottut, he has to be content that as far as his boss is in the real fire, he can chill in the frying pan. Kottut is therefore, likely to continue waiting for his tour of duty to expire before he packs his stuff in a container to leave Stockholm quietly by KLM back to Kenya. However unfortunate it sounds, that is life in Kenya-Stockholm.

Okoth Osewe

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A blog for News and Events happening around Kenyans in Stockholm.

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