List of Australian High Commissioners to Kenya

High Commissioner of Australia to Kenya Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office in Nairobi
Incumbent John Feakes since January 2015
Style	His Excellency
Nominator	Prime Minister of Australia
Appointer	Governor General of Australia
Inaugural holder	Walter Crocker
Formation	September 1965
Website	Australian High Commission, Kenya

The High Commissioner of Australia to Kenya and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office in Nairobi is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Kenya in Nairobi. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and also holds non-resident accreditation to Burundi (since 1987), Rwanda (since 1987), Somalia, Tanzania (since 1987) and Uganda (since 1965). The High Commissioner also acts as Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office at Nairobi, including the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. The High commissioner is also representative to the East African Community. The High Commissioner is currently John Feakes since January 2015.^[1]

Posting history

Kenya and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since the Australian government established diplomatic relations with Kenya and Uganda in August 1965. The first Australian representative was Walter Crocker who was appointed as the High Commissioner in Nairobi, with non-resident accreditation to Uganda and as Ambassador Ethiopia.^[2] From 1976 to 1984 the High Commissioner was accredited to the Seychelles when it was transferred to the High Commission in Mauritius.^[3] From 1962 to 1987 there existed a resident High Commission to Tanzania in Dar Es Salaam.^[4] However, with its closure accreditation, along with that of Rwanda and Burundi, was transferred to Kenya.^[5][6] Although the High Commission in Kenya was originally accredited to Ethiopia on its establishment in 1965, a resident embassy in Addis Ababa was established in December 1984. The embassy was closed in 1987, with accreditation returning to Nairobi until the re-establishment of the Ethiopian embassy in 2010. In 1991, with its independence, accreditation was held for Eritrea, until it was transferred to the Embassy in Cairo in 2006.

High Commissioners

Name	Start of term	End of term	References
Walter Crocker	September 1965	October 1967	[7]
Robert Hamilton	November 1967	December 1970	[8]
K. H. Rogers	December 1970	May 1974	[9]
Walter Handmer	May 1974	November 1977	[10]
Hugh Dunn	November 1977	December 1979	[11]
John Lavett	January 1980	December 1981	[3]
Geoffrey White	February 1982	May 1986	[12]
Douglas Campbell	May 1986	September 1989	[13]
David Goss	September 1989	January 1993	[5]
Lawry Herron	January 1993	December 1995	[14]
John Trotter	January 1996	January 1998	[15]
Philip Green	January 1998	January 2001	[16]
Paul Comfort	January 2001	August 2004	[17]
George Atkin	August 2004	May 2007	[18]
Lisa Filipetto	May 2007	September 2010	[19]
Geoff Tooth	September 2010	December 2014	[20]
John Feakes	January 2015	present	[1]

High Commissioners to Tanganyika/Tanzania

• A.F. Dingle (Acting High Commissioner, 1962)^[21]
• Hugh Gilchrist (1962–1966)^[22]
• H.W. Bullock (1967–1971)
• Bill Landale (1971–1972)^[23][24]
• J.A. Forsythe (1973–1976)
• F.W. Truelove (1977–1978)
• E.J.L. Ride (1979–1981)
• John R. Baker (1982–1984)^[25]
• Gordon K. Miller (1985–1987)^[26]

See also

• Australia-Kenya relations
• Foreign relations of Australia

References

1. Bishop, Julie (9 December 2014). "High Commissioner to Kenya". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
2. "Ties with Africa.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1965. p. 8. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
3. "Diplomatic posts.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 26 January 1980. p. 3. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
4. CA 8045: Australian High Commission, Tanzania [Dar-es-Salaam], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 10 January 2016
5. "IN BRIEF.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). ACT: National Library of Australia. 21 July 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
6. "New Mission Planned In East Africa.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 12 May 1962. p. 2. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
7. "VC named as new envoy.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 10 September 1965. p. 3. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
8. "Kenya appointment.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). ACT: National Library of Australia. 15 November 1967. p. 13. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
9. "IN BRIEF Housing subsidy raised.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 31 December 1970. p. 3. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
10. "Africa envoy.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 6 May 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
11. "Envoy to Kenya appoinsed.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 6 September 1977. p. 9. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
12. "Diplomat.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 13 December 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
13. "Appointment.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 10 May 1986. p. 18. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
14. "IN BRIEF.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 14 October 1995. p. 6. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
15. Evans, Gareth (13 October 1995). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Kenya". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
16. Downer, Alexander (23 December 1997). "DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT: HIGH COMMISSIONER TO THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
17. Downer, Alexander (25 October 2000). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Kenya". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
18. Downer, Alexander (15 June 2004). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Kenya". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
19. Downer, Alexander (29 March 2007). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Kenya". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
20. Smith, Stephen (31 August 2010). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Kenya". Australian Government. Archived from the original (Press Release) on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
21. "New Mission Planned In East Africa.". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 12 May 1962. p. 2. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
22. "'Australia has poor image'". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 31 August 1966. p. 8. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
23. "Envoy to Tanzania named". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 21 February 1970. p. 9. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
24. Juddery, Bruce (29 January 1971). "Africa: Our representation very thin on the ground". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 10 January 2016. Over in Dar-es-Salaam Mr Bill Landale reports on Zambia, Malawi and, the only non-African country watched from the continent, Mauritius.
25. "Tanzanian envoy". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 16 January 1982. p. 3. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
26. "Envoy to Tanzania". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 23 January 1985. p. 3. Retrieved 10 January 2016.

External links

• Australian High Commission, Kenya