Kaberia recalled from Washington
Barely seven months after the Kibaki administration named him its No. 2 man at the Kenyan mission in Washington

By Patrick L. Thimangu in St. Louis, Missouri
Symon Ogeto in Chicago, Illinois
and Pius Nyamora in Centreville, Virginia
Filed at 3:30p.m. CT

May 16, 2004 (ML) -- The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recalled Kirimi Kaberia to Nairobi, barely seven months after the Kibaki administration named him its No. 2 man at the Kenyan mission in Washington.

Kaberia, whose appointment has been dogged by controversy and ministry in-fighting, flew from the United States on a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight Friday, according to sources familiar with the situation. He was expected to arrive in Nairobi on May 17, to an uncertain future.

Kaberia's departure came just days after Leonard Ngaithe took office as the head of the Kenyan embassy, replacing Yusuf Nzibo, who was transferred to Saudi Arabia. The ambassadorial changes were part of a diplomatic reshuffle that President Mwai Kibaki made in January.

Ngaithe, a career diplomat, was the Kenyan ambassador in the Netherlands, where Nzibo had served in a similar role prior to his arrival in the U.S. in July 2000.

Kaberia, a former assistant director in charge of the Africa democracy program at the Les Aspin Center in Washington, returned to the capital last October as first counsellor and head of chancery -- the official title for deputy ambassador. He was slated to replace Thomas Amollo, a ministry veteran who has been stationed in the U.S. for more than a decade.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry did not initially announce Kaberia's appointment, which was said to have come directly from State House in Nairobi. Upon arrival, he came under heavy criticism in a Nov. 22 mass e-mail signed by a person or group claiming to be "members of staff of the Embassy of Kenya."

The anonymous missive, among other things, alleged that Kaberia was a young, unqualified, semi- literate man who was illegally thrust into high office. It landed in Kenyan government offices, Nairobi newsrooms and private in-boxes of Kenyans at home and abroad.

The letter sparked an official government response that belatedly confirmed Kaberia's appointment. It also spurred stories in Kenyan newspapers that characterized the hiring as a patronage move orchestrated by the Kibaki administration.

Kaberia's supporters, through e-mails and postings to Internet chat rooms, hailed his appointment as a move away from the past Kenyan practice of promoting unqualified civil servants. The man, some argued, had a good education and connections in Washington, and had earned his due by campaigning for years against the regime of Daniel Arap Moi.

Mashariki Leo has confirmed that Kaberia has an undergraduate degree from Marquette University, one of America's best schools. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Jesuit school in 1994; and also has done graduate school work at the institution.

Kaberia worked at the Les Aspin Center from 1995 until 2002, when he returned to Kenya to run for Parliament. A large cross-section of Kenyans, including journalists and some members of the Kibaki cabinet, received training at the center during Kaberia’s tenure. The center is an international political think tank and an academic unit of Marquette.

Despite his credentials, Kaberia was never really able to fit in with the Kenyan civil service way of doing things in Washington, sources said. He was under constant attack and opposition from entrenched civil servants looking to protect their turf, and he may not have received the backing he required from Nairobi.

Amollo, the man Kaberia was supposed to replace, is still in Washington. It is not clear what role he will serve in coming days though his request for extended stay was granted only until June. If indeed, the Ministry will stay its course on Amollo’s recall, then James Wakiaga, who is serving as second counselor is likely to rise and take Kaberia’s position. Wakiaga was posted to Washington about a month before Kaberia’s appointment.

Mashariki Leo was not able to reach Ngaithe at Kenya House, the ambassador's official residence in Washington, for comment on Kaberia’s recall. According to a diplomatic source, Ngaithe is putting up at a hotel in Washington and is not likely to move into the official residence in the next two weeks.

Kaberia could not be reached because he was on transit. However, Amollo formally confirmed the recall, but he declined to make any predictions on Kaberia’s next assignment. Amollo said he is not sure whether he will even leave Washington come June.

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