"It’s no longer business as usual at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, DC”. This was stated by the newly appointed Kenyan Ambassador to the US, Ambassador Robinson Njeru Githae while speaking to KENYA360 TV on his maiden interview with the Diaspora Media since arriving in the US following his recent appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta. While underlining his intolerance of shoddy services , Ambassador Githae assured Kenyans in the Diaspora of quality services during his term and requested them to view the embassy and it’s staff as servants of the people. In line with improving service delivery, he further disclosed that the embassy is currently in the process of creating infrastructure for providing more services online thereby eliminating the necessity of physical trips to the embassy or consulates. Speaking on investment opportunities in Kenya, the Ambassador stated that Kenyans should use the Embassy as a resource to verify the authenticity and credibility of the companies they intend to invest in/through to ensure that they don’t risk losing their investments by falling prey to scam artists. He singled out stable investments like bonds, infrastructural bonds and also the Nairobi Stock Exchange as bankable avenues that provide good returns at low risk levels. On the prospects of the Kenyans in the US voting in 2017, Ambassador Githae stated that physical voting in the US is impractical due to the vast territories involved and voiced his support for postal voting as the only viable method. He added that he will be lobbying the electoral commission (IEBC) to that effect to ensure that Kenyans in the US are not left out again in 2017. And earlier while addressing a cross-section of Kenyans in Seattle Washington, Ambassador Githae disclosed that the Embassy under his term will be more proactive in partnering with Kenyans in the US to ensure that such services as issuance of new generation ID’s, passport renewal and registration is made more accessible. While answering a question on vehicle importation/exportation by US-based Diaspora returnees to Kenya, Ambassador Githae clarified that the new regulations as announced by President Uhuru in his last visit to the US are not meant to grant advantage to Diaspora returnees from the US over other returnees from other parts of the world but rather to bridge the gap created by the Kenyan law that did not allow for the importation of left hand drive vehicles which are used in the US. He stated that the new regulations allow for the returnee to sell their current vehicle in the US and then buy a right hand drive vehicle of similar model and engine capacity to the one they have owned and now sold. He further added that the regulations require for the verification of prior vehicle ownership before a returnee can be allowed clearance of the imported vehicle at the Port of Mombasa. In that regard, the Ambassador stated that the Embassy is best placed to perform this verification as it is the only government department with a footprint in the returnees former country of residence.These regulations however, do not waive the standing requirements that no vehicles older than eight years may be imported into Kenya. Ambassador Githae sent his holiday greetings to all Kenyans in the Diaspora wishing them a happy and prosperous 2015 and also extolled them purpose to stand together and for each other as one united people.

• published: 02 Jan 2015
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