The new British High Commissioner for Kenya, Neil Wigan, has arrived in Nairobi to replace Jane Marriott who has been posted to Pakistan.

Wigan arrived from Israel where he was ambassador for the last four years.

“It has been a long-term ambition of mine to lead the team at the British High Commission in Nairobi,” the new envoy said on arrival. “I first visited Kenya in 1977. My children went to school in Nairobi, and I have visited Kenya many times, for work and pleasure. I am delighted to have returned.”

According to Gov.UK, Wigan was the Director for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from November 2015 to September 2018. He then served as British ambassador to Somalia (June 2013 to July 2015) and to the Democratic Republic of Congo from March 2010 to March 2013.

He has also worked in the Cabinet Office, for the Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser and with Middle Eastern and EU economic issues within the FCO.

Wigan holds a BA from Oxford University and an MSc in Economics from the University of London.
The UK is the largest international investor in Kenya and is Kenya’s fifth largest export market.

“I look forward to working with the Government of Kenya on the priorities of our Strategic Partnership, particularly the Sh500 billion of UK investment in clean, green infrastructure projects including the Nairobi Railway City, the Menengai geothermal plant, Grand High Falls Dam and the Malindi Solar Expansion project,” he said in a press statement.

“These projects, among others, will improve the lives of Kenyans, boost sustainable development, and help tackle climate change. I look forward to seeing these projects and other UK-Kenya partnerships,” said Wigan.

Wigan will replace Jane Marriot who has served in the capacity for four years now.
Prior to this appointment, Jane Marriott, 47, was the high commissioner to Kenya since September 2019. She would be replacing Dr Christian Turner, who left Pakistan in January after serving as the envoy since December 2019.

“The first female British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane, is due to take up her role in mid-July,” the British High Commission in Islamabad said in a statement.