President William Ruto on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, received credentials from nine newly appointed envoys during a ceremony at State House, Nairobi, formally marking the start of their diplomatic assignments in Kenya. The envoys represent Thailand, Brazil, Nigeria, Cyprus, Belgium, Austria, the European Union, South Sudan and France. They are Jirusaya Birananda of Thailand, Joao Alfredo Fo Anjos of Brazil, Ibrahim Danlami of Nigeria, Nicholas Manolis of Cyprus and Tom Neijens of Belgium. The other representatives are Simone Knapp of Austria, Andreas Peschke of the European Union, Simon Juach Deng Juach of South Sudan and Wadid Benaabou of France.
Ruto said the accreditation of the new envoys forms part of Kenya’s continued engagement with other countries and international organisations.
“We are actively engaging with other countries, consolidating and expanding our diplomatic networks, geared towards our shared prosperity,” the President said.
The new diplomatic representatives are expected to work with Kenyan authorities on areas of mutual interest, depending on the priorities of their respective countries and institutions. These areas include trade, investment, development cooperation, tourism, education and other bilateral and multilateral interests. The presentation of credentials is a formal diplomatic procedure through which an ambassador or other accredited representative is formally recognised by the host country and begins their official assignment.
Among the new envoys is Thailand’s Jirusaya Birananda, who is also the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations offices in Nairobi. Birananda had presented copies of her credentials and the previous ambassador’s letter of recall to Kenya’s Chief of Protocol in July, ahead of her formal presentation to Ruto. Kenya and Thailand are also preparing to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2027. The two countries have identified areas including agriculture, trade and investment, health, tourism, education, culture, the blue economy and maritime cooperation as potential areas for deeper collaboration.
The arrival of the nine representatives adds to Kenya’s diplomatic engagement with partners across different regions. The group includes representatives from major African partners such as Nigeria and South Sudan, European states including France, Belgium, Austria and Cyprus, Thailand in Asia, Brazil in South America and the European Union as a regional bloc. For the new envoys, the presentation of credentials formally clears the way for them to undertake their diplomatic responsibilities in Kenya. For the government, the ceremony provides an opportunity to reinforce existing relationships and pursue cooperation in areas considered important to Kenya’s economic and diplomatic interests. The envoys will now begin their respective assignments as Kenya continues to engage foreign governments and international organisations on bilateral relations, trade, investment and development cooperation.