Mathias Ringa
4 September 2008
Nairobi — The posting of education attaches to Kenya's embassies has been discontinued.
Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula said the attaches no longer had a role in the embassies.
Currently, there are between 20 and 25 such officers in the country's missions.
Mr Wetang'ula said that in the past education attaches facilitated the payment of fees for students, but that nowadays parents paid fees for their children abroad.
The Government, he added, had also withdrawn drivers and cooks from the embassies and as a result Sh600 million had been saved.
Political rewards
The cash was used for opening more missions in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Speaking on the issue of foreign missions earlier Thursday, the House Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations chairman warned that the appointment of "political rejects" to plum jobs such as ambassadors and parastatal heads would be vigorously fought in Parliament.
Chairman Adan Keynan said that only professionals should be appointed, based on their credentials.
Addressing a news conference at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa, Mr Keynan said it was time the Government stopped appointing ambassadors and high commissioners "who are nothing but busy bodies in the name of political rewards and regional balance".
And in case the authorities failed to appoint deserving people, he said, the committee would use its mandate to block the appointments.
Mr Kiema Kilonzo said that if political rejects and military retirees were picked, the committee would reject the appointments in Parliament.
But in a quick rejoinder, the Foreign Affairs minister came to the defence of those serving in foreign missions.
"All the serving ambassadors and high commissioners are qualified personnel who have been doing a good job. There is nothing wrong with the Head of State appointing former Cabinet ministers and retired judges as ambassadors," said Mr Wetang'ula. "But even so we have ambassadors who are professionals serving in our foreign missions."
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