Officials in the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs on Monday complained that the existence of different offices housing employees was hindering smooth coordination between staff.
Speaking during the Ministry's Wellness Day attended by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who also doubles as the head of the said Ministry, the officers noted that bringing all the ministry staff under one roof would make them work with more cohesiveness.
"Our cohesiveness as a ministry is hindered by the way the offices are configured. Some are in the Old Treasury House, 316 and now the Railways Headquarters; we need to be under one roof," Yabesh Monari, Director General, of Foreign Service Administration, stated.
According to the Foreign Affairs website, the Ministry is headquartered at the G.P.O, Harambee Avenue, Old Treasury Building in Nairobi, with the Ministry offices located at 316 Upper Hill Chambers in Nairobi.
"Sometimes we don't know one another, Some who are in the 316 office when you meet, you don't know if this is one of your staff," Monari added.
Mudavadi's appointment as Foreign Affairs CS added to the list of many offices assigned to the Ministry including the Prime Cabinet Secretary's office located at the Kenya Railways Headquarters.
In October, Mudavadi hosted the Japanese Ambassador to Kenya, Okaniwa Ken, at his Railways Headquarters.
Echoing the sentiments of the officers, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Singoei noted that having the Ministry's offices spread in different locations across town was an issue that needed to be addressed.
"It suggests a sense of fragmentation, and that fragmentation can affect how we deliver service," Korir stated.
He, however, expressed his belief that the Prime Cabinet Secretary was on the right track and would fix the issues in the Ministry.
"It is my firm conviction that together with the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the commitment of the President to elevate the foreign service, we will be able to have a state-of-the-art new building that will house the entire foreign and diaspora services of the Republic of Kenya," he added.
Speaking at the event, Mudavadi lauded the Ministry officials and staff for facilitating the President's foreign trips and visits by over thirty foreign heads of state.
The President has hosted many Heads of State in the country the latest being the visit by the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, on Monday.
The meeting brought together senior retired ministry officers, newly appointed ambassadors, and High Commissioners, among others.
