Kenya seeks to reopen Vancouver consulate to ease services for diaspora

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Kenya has renewed efforts to reopen its consulate in Vancouver City to make it easier for thousands of Kenyans living in British Columbia and other parts of western Canada to get government services.

Ambassador Geoffrey Kaituko, Chargé d’Affaires at the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa, said the mission had formally asked the government to consider reopening the consulate, which would save Kenyans lengthy and costly journeys to Ottawa to obtain basic documents.

“It is very expensive for Kenyans residing in the Western Part of Canada to travel to Ottawa to process documents, we are committed to survey Kenyans abroad and that is why the government has been requested to open a consulate at Vancouver,” said Amb Kaituko.

The ambassador was addressing Kenyans gathered at a community event in Surrey, British Columbia during a Summer Barbeque hosted by the Kenyan Community in British Columbia (KenBC) at Bear Creek Park, attended by about 500 people.

More than 100 Kenyans took advantage of the event to access mobile consular services, including passport renewals, national identity card applications, birth registrations and Certificates of Good Conduct.

“The outreach was the first major consular clinic in British Columbia in months and formed part of a wider effort by the Ottawa mission to take services closer to Kenyans across Canada,” he said.

Since Kaituko assumed his current role two months ago, the mission has conducted mobile consular clinics in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Montreal with initiatives have reached more than 6,000 Kenyans, with about 500 receiving direct mobile consular services.

 A representative of the Kenyans in British Columbia who spoke during the event lamented that the distance to Ottawa remains a major barrier with the two cities about 4,600km apart by road and roughly 3,550km by air.

“My personal experience growing up in Turkana County had shaped my approach to providing government services to Kenyans abroad, the residents of the remote northern county struggled to access government services before devolution brought them closer to their government,” said Kaituko.

Rosemary Chemutai, Head of Consular Services at the High Commission, urged Kenyans in British Columbia to register with the mission, saying accurate data would help the government determine the frequency of mobile clinics and strengthen the case for additional resources.

The mission hopes to conduct at least two mobile consular clinics in British Columbia each year.

Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census estimates that about 2,215 people of Kenyan ethnic or cultural origin live in British Columbia, out of roughly 13,000 nationally.

The consular push comes as Kenya prepares for the August 2027 General Election with Kaituko also urged Kenyans in Canada to remain united and avoid importing ethnic and political divisions from Kenya.

“The High Commission Is engaging the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission over the possibility of establishing polling stations in major Canadian cities, I urge you to live in unity as Kenyans and shun tribal politics or groupings while here,” said Kaituko.

The Ambassador highlighted the economic contribution of Kenyans abroad, particularly through remittances saying that the money sent home by Kenyans in the diaspora supports families, education, healthcare and property investment while contributing to Kenya’s economic growth.

Under Kenyan law, diaspora voters are currently eligible to vote only in the presidential election.