FORMER MINISTER AND KENYA’S FIRST US AMBASSADOR BURUDI NABWERA DIES
Kenya is mourning the death of veteran diplomat and former Cabinet Minister Burudi Nabwera, who has died aged 99.
Nabwera was a key figure in Kenya’s early post-independence diplomacy, serving as the country’s first Permanent Representative to the United Nations and its first Ambassador to the United States. He held the UN position from December 1963 to September 1970.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi mourned Nabwera, describing him as “a respected diplomat and one of the pioneers who helped establish Kenya’s voice on the international stage in the early years of our Republic.” Mudavadi said Nabwera belonged to a generation that laid the foundations of Kenya’s diplomacy and national development.
Nabwera later served as Minister of State in the Office of the President and as Secretary-General of KANU during the administration of former President Daniel arap Moi. In 1988, he became the first Member of Parliament for the newly created Lugari Constituency.
His death has prompted tributes from leaders who have remembered him for his long career in diplomacy, government and public service. Details on the cause of death and funeral arrangements had not been released at the time of reporting.