- Irina renounced her Canadian citizenship in 2018.
- The Committee will finalise the vetting of envoys on Saturday.
Image: EZEKIEL AMINGA
The controversial issue of dual citizenship popped up on Friday during the vetting of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ambassadorial nominees.
The National Assembly Defence and Foreign Relations Committee were taken aback when it emerged that one of the nominees had been holding dual citizenship for close to 50 years.
Ambassador Tabu Irina, Uhuru’s nominee to Tokyo, Japan, according to documents tabled before the committee was born in Canada in 1968 and had been holding the two citizenship until 2018 when she renounced her Canadian citizenship.
MPs questioned why she had to drop her Canadian citizenship after almost five decades.
“The Constitution is clear you cannot hold public office when you have dual citizenship. You have been holding office for years when you know that you have dual citizenship. How do you explain that? What made you renounce the Canadian citizenship?” Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo asked Ambassador Irina..
Kitui Woman representative Irine Kasalu asked the nominee whether she would advocate for a law change to allow people with dual citizenship take up public office jobs.
Irina told the committee that save for being born in Canada, she has never enjoyed any benefit of being a Citizen of that country.
“As far as I am concerned, I was not a citizen of Canada. I was not paying taxes there; it was just that I was born there. I have never benefitted anything from that country. I was made aware when applying for a Visa. I then applied for renunciation in 2018,” Irina told the committee.
“I renounced it because it was not adding value to me. I had no reason holding that citizenship.”
Last year, the committee conditionally rejected nomination of Mwende Mwinzi to South Korea on account of her dual citizenship. Mwinzi was also a US citizen.
The Committee chaired by Kajiado South Katoo ole Metito also vetted Maj Gen. (Rtd) Samwel Nandwa (Juba), Stella Munyi (Harare) and Daniel Wambura (Bujumbura).
On Thursday, the Committee vetted AmbassadorJohn Tipis (Cabberra), Benson Ogutu (Moscow), Immaculate Wambua (Ottawa), Catherine Mwangi (Pretoria, South Africa) and Martin Kimani (United Nations New york).
On Sunday, the panel will conclude the exercise with Ambassador Tom Amollo (Berlin) and Lindsay Kiptiness (Bangkok), who will appear virtually before the Committee.
Edited by EKibii