Skip to content
Kenya has lost one of its early diplomatic figures, Burudi Nabwera, who served in senior government positions and represented the country abroad in the years following independence.
Nabwera, who died aged 99, was Kenya’s first ambassador to the United States and its first Permanent Representative to the United Nations, before later joining the Cabinet and elective politics.
Leaders Pay Tribute to Veteran Diplomat
Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya mourned Nabwera, praising his decades of service to the country and his contribution to diplomacy, governance and national development.
Oparanya described the late leader as a distinguished public servant whose work would remain part of Kenya’s history.
Nabwera represented Kenya at the United Nations from December 1963 to September 1970, during a formative period in the country’s international relations, before becoming the country’s first ambassador to the United States.
From Government to Elective Politics
Beyond diplomacy, Nabwera served as Minister of State in the Office of former President Daniel arap Moi and as Secretary-General of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), which governed Kenya for decades.
He later entered Parliament after Lugari Constituency was established in 1988, becoming its first Member of Parliament and representing the area in the National Assembly.
Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo also paid tribute, recalling his interaction with Nabwera when the veteran leader served as a consultant at Nzoia Sugar Company in 2008.
Owalo said Nabwera’s experience and contribution to the institution had been valuable, adding that his death was a loss to Lugari residents and the country.
Nabwera leaves behind a long public-service record spanning Kenya’s early diplomatic engagements, government leadership and parliamentary representation.
About The Author
