President William Ruto has moved to reorganize Kenyaβs Foreign Service, making 20 new appointments and redeployments in a sweeping shakeup meant to βoptimise performance and enhance service delivery.β
The announcement came Friday, August 15, through State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed. It included several key ambassador and high commissioner nominations across major world capitals.
Among the new postings, former Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore has been nominated as Kenyaβs ambassador to Windhoek, Namibia. Her name, along with others, has been submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval as required by the Constitution.
Other nominees include Galma Mukhe Boru for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Anthony Mwaniki Muchiri for Ankara, Turkey, Lucy Kiruthu for Bangkok, Thailand, Henry Wambuma for Bujumbura, Burundi, and Catherine Kirumba Karemu for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Boreβs nomination marks her return to a senior government role less than a year after being dropped from Cabinet. She was among those who left their posts during the 2024 reshuffle that followed the Gen Z protests, which saw several political and administrative changes in the country.
Her political journey began in 2012 when she resigned from her teaching career to contest the Kericho County Woman Representative seat. She lost that election but stayed active in public service, later securing a role in Bomet County as Director of Education in charge of Vocational Training. She served there until 2015.
That same year, she joined the national stage when the government appointed her as a board member at the Geothermal Development Company (GDC). She chaired the Human Resource Committee during her tenure there.
Bore made another attempt at the Kericho Woman Representative seat in 2017, this time winning and serving until 2022. In Parliament, she sat on various committees, including Welfare, Facilities, Sports, Tourism and Culture, and Budgetary Appropriations.
Her work in these committees gave her experience in legislative oversight and sectoral policy, experience she is now expected to carry into her diplomatic posting.
If approved, Bore will be taking over Kenyaβs diplomatic mission in Namibia at a time when bilateral ties between the two countries are growing in trade, education, and energy cooperation. Windhoek is seen as a key regional partner in Southern Africa, and the role will involve strengthening these ties further.
The reshuffle also affects other strategic postings, including Addis Ababa, which hosts the African Union headquarters; Ankara, a growing trade and investment hub; and Bangkok, which continues to be a gateway for Kenyaβs engagement in Southeast Asia.
Rutoβs changes reflect his broader plan to place trusted hands in international positions, both to represent Kenyaβs interests abroad and to align foreign policy with his administrationβs economic and development goals.
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