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Defence Cabinet Secretary Amb. Dr. Monica Juma has been nominated for the post of secretary general to the Commonwealth.
When announcing the nomination, President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit to consider Ms. Juma saying she has been an exemplary top diplomat whose experiences include serving as a Foreign Affairs CS.
“I have no doubt that Amb. Monica Juma will be a strong consensus candidate, who will deliver an effective Secretariat driven by member state priorities; she will help bolster unity amongst the Commonwealth family, and also enhance innovative partnership that optimizes the impact of our organization,” a statement by the President said.
The Head of State lauded Amb. Juma as a diplomat extra-ordinary who has excelled in all her capacities.
“Amb Dr. Juma has an indisputable track record of strategic leadership, management, representation and knowledge of government, regional as well as multinational, and multilateral relations, international development, security, and humanitarian issues,” stated the President.
Commonwealth, an association bringing together 54 nations and states, is seeking its 7th secretary general and the appointment will be made at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda next year.
Other than heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Juma has also served as a Principal Secretary in both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior.
Before joining the Executive, she was the Ambassador of Kenya to Ethiopia and Djibouti as well as the permanent representative of Kenya to the African Union (AU) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
If appointed, Amb. Juma will be taking over from Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, the first woman to hold the post and the first black Attorney General of the UK. Baroness Scotland took office in 2016 and was expected to face a re-election summit in June 2020. However, due to COVID-19, the summit was postponed to June this year and again farther to June next year.
Under Commonwealth rules of election, the Secretary General’s four-year term is renewable once and can only be extended by a year. Any additional extensions would mean one has served two terms.
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