National

Ruto receives credentials from five envoys at State House

Eswatini non-resident ambassador Mahlaba Mamba shakes hands with President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi on March 6, 2024.

By Mwangi Maina | Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Ambassador Mahlaba Mamba committed to strengthening the relationship between Kenya and Eswatini.

President William Ruto has received credentials from five envoys recently posted to Kenya.

The President received diplomatic papers on Wednesday at Nairobi's State House from Ambassadors of Mexico, Serbia, Thailand, San Marino, and Eswatini.

Keep reading

Speaking during the event, President Ruto said Kenya will foster strong bilateral relations with other nations to enhance its development agenda.

He spoke to individual ambassadors when receiving the diplomatic papers as well as a brief chat on relations between the two countries.

Mexican ambassador Enrique Javier Ochoa Martinez said his country will continue to cooperate with Kenya bilaterally and multilaterally.

He added the Mexican government recognises Kenya's offer to lead a multinational force in Haiti to quell violence in the Caribbean country.

The second ambassador to present credentials was the Serbian envoy, Danijela Cubrilo Martic who said it was "a great honour to present credentials to President Ruto".

President William Ruto with the Serbian envoy, Danijela Cubrilo Martic at State House, Nairobi on March 6, 2024.

She committed to continue building bilateral ties with the people and government of Kenya.

Kosovo recognition

Interestingly, Kenya has expressed its readiness to recognise Kosovo, a breakaway state in Southeast Europe.

Kenya's move toward recognising Kosovo gained momentum earlier last year when Nairobi officially recognised Kosovo passports.

Ambassador Martic, however, "sincerely thanked friendly Kenya for not recognising the unilaterally declared independence of so-called Kosovo, in respect of the UN Charter international law illegally binding UN Security Council resolution 1244."

Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's statehood and continues to claim it as the autonomous Province of Kosovo, even though it has no formal control there.

Thailand envoy Morakot Janemathukorn said she is looking forward to deepening relations with Kenya.

San Marino's first-ever deployed ambassador to Kenya, Giovani Conti said the accreditation of the inaugural envoy from San Marino to Kenya is a start of good relations.

San Marino is an independent and sovereign member of the international community.

Eswatini non-resident ambassador Mahlaba Mamba lives in Addis Ababa but is accredited to Kenya.

He committed to strengthening the relationship between Kenya and Eswatini through the Kenyan ambassador George Orina who is based in Addis Ababa.