After six years as Kenya’s first ambassador to Ireland, Catherine Muigai Mwangi is heading back home.
But before departing, she spoke to Metro Éireann reflecting fondly on her time in Ireland.
“What I really enjoyed most here and what will live with me forever is the generosity and the hospitality of the Irish people,” she said.
“I have felt extremely welcome here, I have felt very comfortable living here and I have enjoyed interacting with the very many people that have come to me. ”
Ambassador Mwangi also noted that she would miss the beauty and diversity of Ireland.
Although she faced challenges during her tenure, she noted her establishing a fully-fledged Kenyan embassy in Ireland as one of her greatest achievements.
Another was changing Ireland’s perception of Africa from an aid recipient to a self-sufficient and capable economic partner.
“I think that one of the challenges that I faced right at the beginning of my tour was the focus of Ireland on aid in Africa,” she said. “I guess this is brought by the fact that obviously Irish missionaries have been working and going to Africa and recruiting in my own country Kenya for many, many years, and obviously they very much dwelt on the humanitarian angle of things.”
As she prepares to return to Kenya, the ambassador said she leaves “extremely satisfied that, together with the Irish Government and other stakeholders, that perception has to a large extent changed”.
She also hailed the Government’s encouragement of Irish businesses to recognise “the potential that Africa offers in terms of economic growth, and the opportunities that lie therein for Irish businesses to take advantage of.”
She continued: “We have growing numbers of Irish businesses going to Africa, going to my own country, so there’s definitely now greater interest and greater activity from an economic point of view.
“If I leave with anything it is that we’ve been able to pretty much put that on the road and I think we cannot go backwards. That momentum is there, it can only grow and partnerships will increase and we’ll see a lot more trade and economic activity with Kenya and Africa.”
Asked what she intends to do when she returns home, Ambassador Mwangi said she had no immediate plans.
“I have been away from Kenya for six years so I want to go home and regroup and decide what it is that I want to do,” she said.
