PS Roseline Njogu
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The Kenyan government is making concerted efforts to engage and empower its diaspora community across the globe.
On Wednesday, the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Diaspora Affairs Ms Roseline Njogu, presided over the induction ceremony for newly appointed Kenyan ambassadors, high commissioners, and consuls-general before they assume their respective diplomatic posts. During the engagement held at the KCB Center in Karen, Nairobi, Ms Njogu emphasized the pivotal role that the State Department and the newly appointed envoys play in serving the interests of the Kenyan diaspora.
She reiterated the importance of amplifying the voices of Kenyans living abroad and ensuring their inclusion in national development strategies, service delivery, and policy formulation processes. Recognizing the significant contributions of the diaspora, Ms Njogu restated the need to provide them with a platform to be heard and to facilitate their active participation in Kenya's socio-economic progress. Additionally, she highlighted the government's commitment to making it easier, cheaper, and safer for the diaspora to remit funds to their home country.
The Principal Secretary lauded the success of the State Department's Mobile Consular Services program which has served nearly 10,000 Kenyans in the diaspora during its second phase, with an ongoing third phase. She acknowledged that the implementation of the third phase has provided an opportunity for the newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioners to engage with the diaspora communities in their respective host nations. Furthermore, Ms Njogu highlighted the State Department's role in the evacuation of Kenyans in distress situations abroad.
She proudly noted that Kenya was the first country in the world to evacuate its citizens from Sudan during the political turmoil in 2023, successfully repatriating 1,170 Kenyans. She also provided an overview of the numerous successful repatriation and medical evacuation operations conducted since the inception of the State Department in December 2022. The interactive session also covered the Diaspora Placement Agency (DPA), a state agency under the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, which aims to source and secure job placements for Kenyans abroad.
Ms Njogu emphasized that with an estimated three to four million Kenyans accounting for approximately 8 per cent of the country's population living in the diaspora, it is imperative to integrate them into the nation's socio-economic development agenda. Additionally, the Principal Secretary highlighted the formulation of Kenya's Global Labour Market Strategy (GLMS), which aims to protect the growing number of Kenyans joining the international labour market, recognizing their creative skills, talents, and work ethics globally.
In response, the newly appointed envoys have pledged to prioritize the interests of Kenya and its citizens, facilitate the opening of new trade routes, support the conveyance of skills and knowledge transfer, source job opportunities, and promote investment back home by the diaspora community.
Comments
Kenyans needs Ibrahim Traore to come and do the rescue .
Kenya will continue to be poor in the long term. The country will continue to significantly depend on the west, east or wherever they can borrow to stay afloat. Part of the western solution is to move certain UN agencies & other international organizations to Kenya as a geopolitical strategy. There are other countries out there that are going downhill. Saidia watu Kenya, but invest somewhere else where you’ll get good returns & secure your future to enable you to continue helping your folks without investing your hard earned monies into the bottomless pit called Kenya. Poverty in Kenya is worse than it’s ever been. And it will continue to get worse. The shilling is temporarily holding due to US behind the scenes rescue. Lebanon issue is where our economy is headed. Plan your future wisely.
Diaspora this, diaspora that.
Stick to killing military personnel and police officers in Kenya.
If they left kenya, leave those people alone.
Truth be told, no difference between now and when we did not have the “diaspora department “
Same old same!
Not impressed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi7xPx1-c-U
Jamhuri Diaspora Sacco. The first in US history.
Apprehensive? Yes. Watch out for the PR. You BETA TEST it your way, caveat emptor. Hope for the best!!
But that diaspora office need to start serving the diaspora. I emailed a RFI six months ago, received an almost immediate response that they'll get back with me. Six months, still waiting. In Kenya, the civil service is there to be served, and the Diaspora Affairs office is not different. Since PS cannot be everywhere, recommend she set up an online RFI site where we can post, and read responses. Sort of a Q/A site for keeping diaspora informed. For now, we're in a Moi error setting where one person do the talking and everyone else do the listening.