In case you’re a book worm who is interested in history, Kenya’s 50 Years of Diplomatic Engagement: From Kenyatta to Kenyatta could just be one of the reads you might want to pick up and read.
Joined by Professor Moody Awori and Cabinet Secretary for Education Amina Mohamed, the Former Vice-President of Kenya, Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday launched the book titled ‘Kenya’s 50 Years of Diplomatic Engagement: From Kenyatta to Kenyatta’ at the University of Nairobi.
The book is a collection of experiences by Kenyan diplomats and academic essays which traces Kenya’s early diplomacy since independence in 1963 to 2013. The narrative of the history of a young nation’s diplomacy is told by the men and women who took the mantle of steering the nation’s diplomacy during the formative years
The book was compiled by Amb. Dr Kipyego Cheluget, the Assistant Secretary General at COMESA. It is a collection of essays from former ambassadors who remember the recruitment of diplomatic cadets in 1961, the birth of our Foreign Service at independence and key moments in the evolution of our foreign policy.
The story of the nation’s struggle to find a place in the complex diplomatic world can at times read like a thriller. For example, the stories by Bethuel Kiplagat as he traversed the jungles of Mozambique as he sought peace for the country is something that will be cherished by future generations. In addition, the description of the methods Kenya used to win the bid to host the most important UN urgency in Nairobi is amazing.
The book is said to have been in the making for the last nine years. It grew from the Kenya Early Diplomacy Symposium held in September 2009 where Cheluget drew inspiration from valuable presentations by old ambassadors at that forum.
He found priceless photos to augment the history and wrote five out of the 19 chapters. Cheluget then decided to place our foreign policy in the context of global politics through the contributions of several academics.
More often than not, when governments are involved in narrating the past, they tend to polish the past and sieve out unsavoury bits and embarrassing moments. However, this is not the case with Cheluget’s volume which gives honest and genuine accounts of everything, the good the bad and the ugly.
CS Amb. Amina Mohamed who wrote the foreword of the book said that she takes pride in being part of this history adding that she was privileged to write the foreword. She further strongly encouraged all Kenyans to read the book saying that it is important for them to know how much was done in their history.
She also presented the 2018 President’s Alumni Award by President of Northern Arizona University to Amb. Dr. Kipyego Cheluget.
Do you think you would enjoy reading such a book?