The Universal Postal Union has elected a Kenyan ambassador Bishar Hussein as the Director General. Ambassador Hussein triumphed over Uruguay's Serrana Bassini Casco garnering 87 to her 72 votes in the elections held in Qatar.

Hussein has had a long career in postal matters, having spent 15 years working for the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation before being appointed the first Postmaster General of the Postal Corporation of Kenya when it split from KP&TC in 1999.

He was then appointed Kenya's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates in 2002, a position he held for five years. He also chaired the 24th UPU Congress held in Geneva and became the chairman of the Council of Administration from 2009-2012.

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka who campaigned for Hussein at the 25th UPU congress in Qatar yesterday congratulated him on his election.

Kalonzo said he was elated at the news because this was the first time a Kenyan had been elected to head a high profile UN affiliated organization.

"Ambassador Bishar had the right credentials and the relevant experience, I am glad that the delegates considered him suitable for the job," Kalonzo said.

The Vice President headed a delegation to pitch for Ambassador Hussein including Information and Communication Minister Samuel Poghisio, Ambassador Bruce Madete the Director of Administration and CCK chairman Ben Gituku.

He said he was confident that the new Director General will implement the pledges he made while campaigning for the top slot, which include reforms at the UN agency as well as enabling the Union to adapt new technologies to make postal services profitable and relevant in a technology oriented age.

Meanwhile Kalonzo Musyoka arrived in Italy yesterday where he held several meetings with members of the business community in Venice and Treviso regions in Italy and encouraged them to invest in Kenya.

Musyoka told them to set up factories in Kenya especially for leather and textile products. He told the Mayor of Cornuda, Treviso Province Marco Marcolini, who paid a courtesy call on him that Kenya was keen to see more tourists from Italy come to Kenya and to attract more investments especially in manufacturing.

"Italy, especially Venice and Treviso, is famous for world class textile and leather products. We welcome you to set up production plants in Kenya to serve the East and Central Africa markets," Kalonzo said.