Kenya is set to establish new diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan and Congo as part of a government plan to restructure its global diplomatic presence and strengthen international relations.
Principal Secretary for State Department of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Korir Sing’oei announced that the government will open new missions in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Brazzaville, Congo, to expand Kenya’s diplomatic footprint in Central Europe and Central Africa.
The move is part of a phased rationalisation exercise involving the closure, relocation and establishment of diplomatic missions in line with Kenya’s evolving national priorities.
Under Phase One, the government has identified the Kenyan Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, for closure amid fiscal pressures, geopolitical uncertainties and competing development priorities.
The ministry clarified that the closure will not affect Kenya’s longstanding bilateral relations with Switzerland. Diplomatic matters between the two countries will revert to the Kenya High Commission in London.
However, Kenya will retain its Permanent Mission in Geneva, which will continue representing the country at the United Nations and other multilateral organisations based there.
The Geneva mission will also provide consular services to Kenyans living in Switzerland.
The government has already relocated its mission in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Mexico City and its mission in Havana, Cuba, to Kingston, Jamaica.
The ministry said the exercise will be implemented gradually, with minimal disruption to Kenyans abroad and international partners.