The UK High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriot, on Wednesday, December 8, revealed her new passion outside her diplomatic duties.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station, the diplomat revealed that she has acquired a taste for farming, showing off her well-tended farm at her Muthaiga home in Nairobi.
Marriot has grown fruits and fresh produce on her quarter-acre farm which she has set aside in the compound for her use.
Her passion for farming has brought rise to a newfound interest in entomology, which is the study of insects, and she has ventured into the scientific field in a bid to spread awareness about insects and their role in the ecosystem.
"The biodiversity of this planet is what keeps us alive, so how we, birds, animals and insects, relate to each other is very important," she stated in the interview.
Marriot remarked that entomology has untapped potential, as the knowledge behind the insects helps the agribusiness as one can take advantage of knowledge about identifying species that are good for the environment, and those that are destructive such as pests and parasites.
During her stay in Kenya, she has worked with experts who offer insight in the field, which she says has helped her build knowledge in the study.
The High Commissioner has opened up her home to primary school pupils in order to spread awareness about insects and to help them learn about the different species and inculcate the science culture in the young minds.
"The study of the species is not known to many, we need to know what they are and what role they play, and engaging with school children enables them to be citizen scientists, because we have many species and not too many scientists," Dino Martin, an entomologist stated.
Marriot, who was chosen as the replacement for Nic Hailey by the British Government, became the first woman to hold such a position in the country.
She was chosen for her experience in foreign missions as well as in line with the new UK reforms which required that all their envoys to Africa achieve a 1:1 gender balance ratio.
Apart from working in Yemen, Marriot was also the head of the UK's joint international counter-extremism unit.
