MFA denies understaffing at Kenya’s Rabat mission, says embassy is fully staffed

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 5-Kenya’s Foreign Ministry has rejected reports that its diplomatic mission in Rabat is struggling with staffing and operational challenges, insisting the embassy is “fully” equipped to pursue Kenya’s expanding strategic interests in Morocco and the wider North African region.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei dismissed concerns over the mission’s capacity, pointing to a rapid expansion of Kenya-Morocco relations over the past two years, including the signing of 11 bilateral cooperation agreements.

“Our Mission in Rabat is fully staffed and equipped to advance Kenya’s strategic interests in Morocco and the Northern Africa region generally,” Sing’Oei said.

His remarks come against the backdrop of a parliamentary report that raised concerns over staffing gaps, a lack of a dedicated translator and financial arrears at the mission.

According to the report by the National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, the embassy was operating with several key vacancies, including a clerk, foreign relations officer and defence attaché.

The committee also raised concerns over the absence of a dedicated translator despite Arabic and French being the main working languages in Morocco.

The report said the mission was relying on staff with limited language proficiency to handle diplomatic engagements and official documentation.

The parliamentary findings followed an inspection of the mission by the committee in March, raising questions about whether Kenya had provided its first resident diplomatic mission in Morocco with sufficient personnel and resources.

Sing’Oei, however, pointed to the pace of diplomatic engagement between Nairobi and Rabat as evidence of the mission’s effectiveness.

“Since its establishment two years ago, Bilateral frameworks between our two countries have expanded rapidly following high-level visits, including the visit to Nairobi by PM Aziz Akhannouch during the Africa Forward Summit in May this year,” he said.

“These engagements have culminated in 11 signed cooperation instruments covering agriculture, education, fisheries, justice, and security, among others.”

The two countries are also discussing deeper cooperation in aviation, with Nairobi and Rabat exploring enhanced bilateral air services and the resumption of direct flights between the two capitals.

“Discussions are underway on enhancing our bilateral air services cooperation and resumption of direct flights between our capitals. How could all these happen if we were not communicating effectively?” Sing’Oei said.

The mission was operationalised following the appointment of Kenya’s first resident ambassador to Morocco in mid-2024.