Kenya opens consulate general in Saudi Arabia

Kenya on Monday officially opened a consulate general office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a move expected to strengthen the diplomatic and economic relations between the two nations.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the new consulate will serve more than 160,000 Kenyans residing in Jeddah, which is in line with Kenya's foreign policy to deliver services to citizens abroad. 

The opening of the consulate, a diplomatic agreement that allows a country to operate in a city of another country to provide services to its citizens, was officiated by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir SingOei representing the Kenyan government, alongside Fareed Al-Sheihri, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Makka region.

The office further revealed its 2024-2027 strategic plan to maintain diplomacy and accountability while advancing Kenya’s interests and the two countries' shared prosperity. 

“The consulate general will compliment the work of the Kenya embassy in Riyadh by extending services to the western region of Saudi Arabia, particularly to the thousands of Kenyan nationals living and working in Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and surrounding areas as well as further strengthening bilateral cooperation and create new opportunities for partnership in line with Saudi vision 2030 and Kenya’s vision 2030 development agenda,” read part of the statement. 

During the inauguration ceremony, PS SingOei commended the consulate staff for their teamwork and urged them to further collaborate in the future.

Further, the PS emphasized the establishment of the consulate general in Jeddah as an important step towards improving Kenya’s commerce, investment, labour, tourism, education, and cultural interaction with Saudi Arabia.

The consulate is supported by other consuls from Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Philippines, Djibouti, Somalia, Bangladesh and Gambia.