Sunday, March 29, 2026(NAIROBI, Kenya)__Kenya’s diaspora is not a fringe constituency but a strategic national asset at the heart of the country’s future, Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs PS Njogu has said.
Speaking at the 19th Ambassadors and High Commissioners Conference in Nairobi, she emphasized that Kenyans abroad now play a decisive role in shaping the country’s identity, economic resilience, and foreign policy direction. Her sentiments were echoed by the Foreign Affairs PS, Dr. Korir Sing’Oei.
She stressed that diaspora communities carry Kenya’s identity, culture and national spirit beyond borders, influencing how the world sees Kenya and how partners choose to engage with it.
The PS noted that remittances from Kenyans abroad have been the country’s largest source of foreign exchange for the last three years, outpacing traditional inflows such as tourism and some exports. Much of this money flows informally to support households, education, and health, she said, calling for deliberate policies and instruments to channel these funds into long-term investments and productive ventures at home.
PS Njogu estimated the Kenyan diaspora at about four million and growing rapidly. “We are dealing with a community that is larger than many counties combined, scattered across all regions of the world, and yet remains deeply connected to home,” she said.
Linking diaspora policy to Kenya’s demographics, the PS argued that diplomacy must prioritize opportunities, skills, jobs, and aspirations for young Kenyans both at home and abroad. She added that Labour mobility and diaspora opportunities can no longer be treated as peripheral issues, she added.
She identified job-creating investments in sectors such as business process outsourcing, offshoring, ICT, and health as central pillars of Kenya’s external engagement. PS Njogu urged missions to proactively court investors and partners who can create opportunities for Kenya’s youthful population, including through collaboration with diaspora professionals and entrepreneurs.
On protecting Kenyan workers abroad, she affirmed that the lives of Kenyans abroad matter and should be protected.
The PS also called for a reset of national narratives around migration and diaspora, urging a shift away from frames of victimhood towards stories of strength, dignity, and contribution to national development. Aspirational Kenyan stories, she said, can inspire the diaspora and reinforce pride at home and abroad.
Reaffirming diaspora engagement as core diplomatic work, PS Njogu urged ambassadors and high commissioners that their role now extends beyond traditional state-to-state relations. She asked them to see themselves as community builders who cultivate strong, trust-based partnerships with Kenyan communities abroad and channel their capital, skills, and networks back home.
She further encouraged envoys to align investment promotion with youth-resonant sectors like technology, digital work, and the creative industries, concluding that diaspora affairs is a central plank of the country’s foreign policy and development strategy.