President William Ruto has reassigned former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba in a fresh round of changes within Kenya’s Foreign Service.
The changes were announced on Wednesday, January 21, in a notice issued by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
He said President Ruto had sanctioned the reassignments following the completion of terms of service by serving ambassadors and high commissioners.
“HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT has this afternoon sanctioned changes within the nation’s Foreign Service. The changes are necessitated by vacancies arising from the completion of the terms of service of serving Ambassadors,” the statement reads.
“BY DINT OF this presidential action, the following serving Heads of Kenya’s missions abroad have been reassigned as stated.”
Under the presidential action, former CS Ababu Namwamba has been reassigned as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Kampala, Uganda, taking over from Ambassador Joash Maangi.
Ambassador Maangi, in turn, has been reassigned as Kenya’s Ambassador to Brussels, Belgium and the European Union, replacing Prof. Bitange Ndemo. The notice indicated that the reassignments take effect immediately.
Namwamba’s reassignment comes after a series of high-profile roles within government over the past two years.In July 2024, he was dismissed from the Cabinet when President Ruto dissolved almost his entire Cabinet amid sustained, Gen Z-led anti-government protests that called for governance reforms and improved service delivery.
At the time of his dismissal, Namwamba was serving as Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts, a position he had held since October 2022.
During his tenure, he was credited with helping FIFA lift its ban on Kenyan football, although he also faced parliamentary scrutiny over the management of national teams.
After several months out of government, Namwamba returned to public service in December 2024 when President Ruto nominated him as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON).
He was vetted by the National Assembly on January 10, 2025, and his appointment was approved by Parliament on January 16, 2025. He later presented his credentials and formally assumed office.
While serving in that role, Namwamba was elected on July 3, 2025, as Chair of the G77+China Nairobi Chapter, a bloc representing 134 developing countries within the United Nations system.
Joash Maangi, who now moves to Brussels, will take over a role previously held by Prof. Bitange Ndemo. Ndemo was appointed Kenya’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union in April 2022 and reported for duty in Brussels in August that year after parliamentary vetting.
Ndemo’s posting also included concurrent accreditation to the European Union and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
In May 2025, he declined an offer to serve as Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi (UoN), citing procedural concerns, and opted to remain in diplomatic service.
