Excerpt : I want to celebrate the great achievements of our folks from North Eastern Kenya. Earlier this week, Mr Bishar Hussein was re-elected for a second 4-year term as the Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) at its 26th Annual Congress held in Istanbul.
I want to celebrate the great achievements of our folks from North Eastern Kenya. Earlier this week, Mr Bishar Hussein was re-elected for a second 4-year term as the Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) at its 26th Annual Congress held in Istanbul. Mr Bishar hails from Rhamu, Mandera, and was a former Kenyan ambassador to UAE. UPU is a 192-member countries organization established in 1874, and is the second oldest international organization in the world. The members unanimously endorsed him for ‘his sterling performance’. We grew up together in Rhamu and he was a class behind in Rhamu DEB though I do not remember whether I bullied him when he joined us at Mandera Secondary School! Congratulations!
Earlier this week, my friend Amb Mohamed Abdi Affey was appointed by the United Nations as the UN special envoy on Somali refugees. Affey was former Kenyan ambassador to Somalia, and prior to his appointment he was the IGAD Special Envoy to Somalia. A UN press release on the appointment stated that the ‘Special Envoy will first help to maximize efforts to search (for) solutions for Somali refugees and asylum seekers at national and regional level and strive to enhance dialogue... to help maintain asylum". I knew him when he was still in the university; a positive minded brother always ready to assist others. Pretty straight too! I audited his books at Farah Maalim’s Norken International when he managed it in the 90s and gave it an unqualified audit opinion! Amb Affey hails from Wajir South constituency which he represented in Parliament until 2013. Congratulations!
While at IGAD, I must mention that we have its indefatigable CEO who is the IGAD Executive Secretary, Amb. (Eng.) Mahboub Maalim. He was appointed by the Heads of States of the six member countries in the Horn of Africa in 2008, and is currently serving his second term. Before this appointment, Mahboub served as a PS in Kenya Government. The people of Northern Kenya will however remember him most when he headed World Bank’s Arid lands programme that impacted significantly in the region. As the programme’s coordinator in 2003, he led a powerful 5-member PSs to Rhamu in Mandera Central constituency that I represented, and subsequently initiated the flood control programme. Mandera residents will also recall that he set up the town’s water supply in the 1980s when he was the district water engineer. He is a close friend, and enjoys my greatest respect. I wish him well as he continues to scale the heights Alhamdulillah.
Early this week too, President Uhuru announced that his government has nominated our sister, Hon (Dr) Amina Mohamed, the CS Foreign Affairs, for the position of Chairperson of the Africa Union. The president heaped praise on Dr Amina on her wealth of experience and exemplary performance. Many Kenyans would agree that she is undoubtedly the best performing CS in Uhuru’s Government. In her short stint as the CS Foreign Affairs, the country’s regional and international image has changed tremendously, consequently enhancing Uhuru’s own profile globally. The President outlined in detail her huge resume and credentials for the AU job which will require endorsement of the Heads of States and Governments of all member countries. He said ‘Dr. Amina Mohamed brings extraordinary experience and distinguished service at the national and international levels’. He added ‘I am confident that Dr. Amina Mohamed will serve our Continent with the requisite professionalism, intellect, skill, integrity, passion and commitment. I have no doubt that her international experience and exposure will be an invaluable asset in driving African Commission in the achievement of Africa`s immense potential’.
Her resume on Huffington Post says: “She is the first African to be the chair of the global trade round at the 10th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya one of the most successful conferences so far. Besides being the first woman to have held the position of Foreign Minister (Cabinet Secretary) of Kenya, she was the first woman to have chaired the governing General Council of the World Trade Organization, the Dispute Settlement Body, the International Organization for Migration as well as President of the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime. She has served in strategic government positions and has been elected to key international positions. Since July 2011 she served as the United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi.”
Dr Amina’s family hails from Isiolo. I had known the family for quite a while as her brother Ahmed was my partner in our audit & financial services firm. She has done the Somali community proud and I wish her success next year for the AU job. Bravo!
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