Australian Ambassadors's Meeting Cancelled by Kajiado County Commissioner

Australian Ambassador to Kenya, John Feakes, was on Tuesday subjected to rare humiliation after he was blocked from attending a meeting in Kajiado County.

The envoy was expected to visit Olturoto area in Isinya to inspect the Kickstart Children’s Orphanage, a local Church and school.

However, Feakes failed to obtain the necessary clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi, forcing the area County Commissioner to cancel his intended visit.

It later emerged that the County Commissioner was following a directive issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta, requiring foreign countries to offer their assistance within the limits of the Vienna convention.

Under the international protocol, local envoys are required to obtain clearance from the host nation before carrying out local movements.

“There is nothing sinister about the action I took. He only failed to observe the Vienna Protocol requirements that demand that such movements by envoys must be cleared by the foreign office in Nairobi,” Kajiado County Commissioner Harsama Kello stated while explaining his seemingly drastic decision.

Kello further explained that the routine is that visiting ambassadors produce a certification of clearance to his office so he can prepare a security detail for the visitors.

“I am sending a clear message to other envoys intending to make visits to my county to ensure that they clear with the country’s foreign office in Nairobi before coming over,” Kello warned.

The Kenyan government has been apprehensive about the activities of foreign countries after it emerged that some of them may have been planning to influence the 2017 election.