Indian envoy protests to Speaker over Uhuru snub

A diplomatic row is brewing between Kenya and India after its envoy complained to Parliament that he had been snubbed by State House and the Foreign Affairs ministry. 

The high commissioner, Yogeshwar Varma, sought National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi’s intervention to help access Foreign Affairs and International Trade secretary Amina Mohammed— five months after his posting to Nairobi.

Mr Varma told Mr Muturi that he was yet to be formally informed of the reasons for his alleged snubbing by top State officials and that India had been given the cold shoulder by the government.

The envoy said the officials had failed to respond to an invitation three months ago to the President to visit India before the end of the year.

He said he had invited President Uhuru Kenyatta to India to attend the India-Africa Summit through the ministry but that his letter, including reminders, had not been acknowledged.

“We just have a few months before the summit. If there’s anything you can do Mr Speaker, please convey to us a confirmation of the presidential visit to India,” he said.

Mr Varma also claimed that Kenya is showing preferential treatment towards Chinese in the issuance of work permits while discriminating against Indians.

“Indians in Kenya pay Sh200,000 for a work permit for six months or Sh400,000 for a work permit for a year yet the Chinese pay Sh30,000 per year. This is a huge disparity,” he said.

The protest comes even as India remains the largest source of Kenyan imports, widening its lead over China. Official data for the first seven months of the year show the gap widened by Sh4 billion to Sh37.54 billion.

READ: India widens lead over China as top exporter to Kenya

Total imports from India in the seven months to July stood at Sh155.26 billion compared to China’s Sh117.72 billion, putting the gap between the two trade rivals at Sh37.54 billion, up from Sh4 billion in a similar period last year.

Mr Varma was however quick to add that India had no problem with Chinese investments in Kenya since the country was also making money from China.

“China is flush with cash! We have no problem whatsoever where they invest,” he said.

The envoy voiced his concerns when he paid a courtesy call on Mr Muturi Thursday, saying he had tried in vain to meet Ms Mohammed.

“I have tried to meet with the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs for the last three months following presentation of my credentials to the President, but all my letters have not been responded to,” he said.

He said it appeared that the Foreign ministry was blocking him and that failure to respond to the letters was sending “some signals”.

The envoy, however, said there was no bad blood between his country and Kenya after 50 years of bilateral relations.

Mr Varma also sought assistance to meet Interior secretary Joseph ole Lenku over what he termed the Immigration Department’s refusal to issue his daughter with a residential visa.

“It is just me and my wife who were given the visa yet we stay with my daughter. There’s a very tough officer in the ministry who simply told me, ‘‘your daughter cannot get a visa because she doesn’t qualify’, ” he said.

He said his daughter pays $50 (Sh4,500) to get a visa to Kenya every time she travels.

The Speaker promised to find out what had delayed the meeting between the high commissioner and Foreign Affairs ministry officials.

“We’ll be able to look at some of the issues that you have raised and see how best to resolve them,” Mr Muturi said.

Mr Varma invited Mr Muturi to India and announced that his country would fully sponsor 16 parliamentary staff to be trained on bicameral Parliament.