National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed recently voiced his concerns over President William Ruto’s latest diplomatic appointments. He questioned why seasoned career diplomats are being overlooked in favor of politicians.
This debate unfolded during a parliamentary session on a motion introduced by Mandera East MP Bashir Abdullahi.
Among the appointments, former Health CS Susan Nakhumicha was named Permanent Representative at UN-Habitat in Nairobi, and Peter Tum was appointed as Ambassador to Kinshasa, DRC. James Buyekane and Abdi Fidhow were also nominated as Consuls General in Guangzhou, China, and Arusha, Tanzania, respectively.
Junet didn’t hold back in his critique, pointing out that the practice of appointing politicians to diplomatic roles could hinder the career growth of professional diplomats.
He asked, “You can’t keep recycling people who’ve already served in high offices. When will career diplomats get their chance to serve in our diplomatic missions?” Junet emphasized that such practices could demoralize dedicated civil servants.
In a lively exchange, Junet dismissed Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah’s attempts to counter his argument, standing firm on his belief that diplomatic roles should primarily be filled by individuals with a background in diplomacy.
He humorously remarked that politicians like himself could be appointed as ambassadors if they lost elections, which brought laughter from fellow parliamentarians.
Tracing the roots of this trend, Junet pointed to the Jubilee regime, arguing that previous administrations under Moi and Kibaki didn’t engage in such practices. He urged the current government to prioritize career diplomats over political appointments to restore integrity to the diplomatic service.
Junet proposed a more balanced approach, suggesting that out of every ten diplomatic appointments, at least six or seven should be career diplomats, leaving room for a few political appointments.
