The words ‘Kenyan Embassy’ and ‘Kenyan High Commission’ come up frequently in discussions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during passport or visa applications, when talking about ambassadors and other issues pertaining to transactions, relationships, and interests of Kenya with other countries. These words tend to confuse, and one can mistakenly use Embassy instead of High Commission and vice versa when making statements or mentioning something about it. What is the difference between Embassies and High Commissions in Kenya?
Kenyan Embassies and Kenyan High Commissions are both diplomatic missions spread in various parts of the world. The main difference between an Embassy and High Commission is that Embassies are official representations of Kenya in countries that are not members of the Commonwealth, while High Commissions are diplomatic missions sent to Commonwealth member countries.
Exploring it further, Commonwealth is a voluntary association of countries that were colonized by Britain, and Kenya is a member. So, when Kenya sends a representative to a country like Uganda, which shares a historical connection as a former British protectorate, the diplomatic mission is a High Commission.
On the other hand, when Kenya sends diplomats to carry out its foreign policy in the United States of America (USA) or Saudi Arabia, they are recognized as Ambassadors, heading an Embassy, and not a High Commission because neither of the two is a Commonwealth member nor have any historical ties.
Embassies are headed by Ambassadors, while High Commissioners are the highest-ranking officials in Kenya’s High Commissions in Commonwealth countries.
Full list of Kenyan Embassies
Here is a list of Kenyan Embassies in various countries in the world. They are 33 in number;
1. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Harare – Zimbabwe
2. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Luanda – Angola
3. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Kinshasa – Congo
4. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Addis Ababa – Ethiopia
4. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Mogadishu – Somalia
5. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Juba – South Sudan
6. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Khartoum – Sudan
7. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Cairo – Egypt
8. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Dakar – Senegal
9. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Algiers – Algeria
10. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Muscat – Oman
11. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Riyadh – Saudi Arabia
12. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Tel Aviv – Israel
13. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Tehran – Iran
14. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Ankara – Turkey
15. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Bangkok – Thailand
16. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Beijing – China
17. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Seoul – Korea
18. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Tokyo – Japan
19. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Moscow – Russia
20. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Rome – Italy
21. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Paris – France
22. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Madrid – Spain
23. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Berlin – Germany
24. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Dublin – Ireland
25. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Stockholm – Sweden
26. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Brasilia – Brazil
27. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Havana – Cuba
28. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Washington – USA
29. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, The Hague – Netherlands
30. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Jakarta – Indonesia
31. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Brussels – Belgium
32. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Vienna – Austria
33. Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, Bern – Switzerland
Full list of Kenyan High Commissions
Here is a list of Kenya’s diplomatic representation in Commonwealth member states;
1. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Pretoria – South Africa
2. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Gaborone – Botswana
3. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Windhoek – Namibia
4. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Lusaka – Zambia
5. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Maputo – Mozambique
6. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Dar es Salaam – Tanzania
7. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Kampala – Uganda
8. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Abuja – Nigeria
9. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Accra – Ghana
10. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Canberra – Australia
11. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia
12. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, New Delhi – India
13. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Islamabad – Pakistan
14. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, London – England
15. High Commission of the Republic of Kenya, Ottawa – Canada
Note: Concerning Embassies and High Commissions are Consulates – extra or additional diplomatic offices in a big country where an Embassy cannot coordinate the entire business alone. For example, because the US is a big nation, there is a Kenyan Consulate in Los Angeles that assist in the provision of services to visiting citizens in that country. They work under the authority of the Embassy.
