This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
Published on October 4, 2019, a statement by the Kenya Community Abroad (KCA) criticized the move by some Members of Parliament to compel Ms Mwende Mwinzi to renounce her American citizenship before she takes up her new appointment as Kenya's ambassador to South Korea.
The group, which spearheaded the fight for the inclusion of dual citizenship clause in the Kenyan Constitution in 2010, accused the legislators of hypocrisy and contempt for Kenyans living abroad.
"As someone with family in the US, it is cruel to ask a fellow Kenyan to shoot themselves in the foot in order to serve their country," the statement said.
The KCA Board of Trustees, comprising Ms Mkawasi Mcharo Hall, Dr David Otwoma, and Dr Warigia Bowman, signed the statement, which also claimed that the legislators' actions were a threat to diaspora rights.
Ms Mwinzi, a dual citizenship holder, had gone through the vetting process by the National Assembly Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations as required by law after being nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Some MPs had questioned her suitability for the post over her dual citizenship, claiming that she was a foreigner.
However, it was established that her appointment was fully within the law since ambassadors and high commissioners are not considered State officials.
Under Article 78 (3)(b), Ms Mwinzi is qualified as a Kenyan whose dual nationality is linked to the laws of another nation (the US).
