July 19 -- Leonard Ngaithe, the new Kenyan ambassador, has presented his diplomatic papers to President George W. Bush in Washington and began the tough task of representing his beleaguered East African nation in the Unites States.

Ngaithe is the first Kenyan head of mission in Washington to solely represent a Kenya government led by a political party other than the Kenyan African National Union (KANU), which had controlled the country since its independence from Great Britain in 1963. President Mwai Kibaki's National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) wrested power from KANU in a general election in December 2002.

Ngaithe's tenure in Washington begins at a time when Kenya's relationships with the U.S. and the West are generally improved, compared to how strained they had become during the dictatorial rule of Daniel Arap Moi. The Kibaki administration, though, is getting poor marks in Western capitals for moving too slowly on ridding the East African nation of crippling corruption and government waste.

Kibaki appointed Ngaithe in January as part of a reshuffle in the Kenyan diplomatic corps. The 45-year-old career diplomat, who served as Kenya's ambassador to the Netherlands, replaced Yusuf Nzibo, who was transferred to Saudi Arabia.

Ngaithe already seems to have hit the ground running. In a recent interview with Mashariki Leo, prior to his meeting Bush on July 15, the ambassador outlined a broad agenda. He said his top priorities in Washington include improving Kenya's image in the U.S., maintaining Kenya's cordial relations with the superpower, and promoting economic cooperation between the two nations.

Ngaithe also wants to boost trade and investment by finding market access for Kenya goods such as tea, coffee and flowers. He said he will seek ways to enable the nation to benefit from the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), which among other things, allows some African countries to export textiles and apparels to the U.S. free of tariffs.

"I would like Kenya to project its rightful image in this country," Ngaithe said.

Ngaithe said he will work on the image issue by making as many contacts with Americans and Kenyans as he can. He called on Kenyans in the United States to register with the embassy so the embassy could get in touch with them in case of need.

Ngaithe said much of what he aims to achieve might not be accomplished easily unless the U.S. lifts its terrorism related travel advisories to Kenya, which have hampered tourism in the country. The U.S. government recently downgraded the travel advisories after the Kenyan government gave assurances that it's fighting terrorism, he said.

"Our idea is to discuss the issue with the U.S. government to reduce or get rid of travel warnings on Kenya, which is adversely affecting the tourism industry," he said.

Kenya on its own has developed measures to combat terrorism including the establishment of anti-terrorist police unit, Ngaithe said. The nation also has also created a tourism police unit and tightened its immigration controls.

Ngaithe said the Kenyan Parliament also is about to debate a suppression of terrorist bill. Some members of the Kenyan parliamentary committee on security recently were in Washington about a month ago to learn how the U.S. formulated its controversial anti-terror law known as the Patriotic Act, he said.

"We are trying to see how we can combat terrorism," Ngaithe said. "However, as you know, a terrorist can strike any time anywhere. We are doing our best as a country. We have suffered from terrorism and we need all the assistance possible so we can deal with the problem."

Ngaithe said another of his top priorities is to ensure Kenyan students in the U.S. get the best value for the money they paid for education. But he reminded all Kenyans that the embassy can only assist those whose whereabouts are known, hence the need for every Kenyan to register with the embassy.

Although Ngaithe could not give a figure, he said Kenya has the highest enrollment of African students in the United States.

"I can say for sure that the numbers are quite large and they are spread all over the United States," Ngaithe said.

Ngaithe’s predecessor, Nzibo, is credited for reaching out to Kenyans across the U.S. and supporting their initiatives to organize into formal institutions. Ngaithe has been making similar moves and in his first month in Washington, he has already traveled to meet Kenyans in Massachusetts, Maryland, Kansas and Georgia.

Ngaithe began his career in the Kenyan ministry of foreign affairs in 1981 when he served the ministry as an assistant secretary. Prior to his ambassadorial stint in the Netherlands, he worked at the ministry in various capacities and represented Kenya as a diplomat in the United kingdom, and Zimbabwe.

Ngaithe is a graduate of the University of Nairobi where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology, and a post-graduate diploma in international relations. The diplomat, who is married and has three children, also has studied in Germany, Egypt and the Netherlands.

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