Ruto bids farewell to Angola’s ambassador to Kenya after six-year duty
By Arnold Ngure, February 12, 2025President William Ruto has bid farewell to the outgoing Angolan ambassador to Kenya Sianga Abilio.
In a statement on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Ruto hailed the bilateral relationship Kenya has had with Angola in the last 50 years, wishing the engineer-turned-diplomat success in his future engagements.
“Kenya and Angola have had a strong and cordial relationship for the past 50 years. Our areas of convergence and mutual interest include trade and investment, and education,” Ruto said.
“The bonds between our two countries were significantly boosted by President Joao Lourenço’s State Visit to our country in 2023, and the 11 memoranda of understanding our two governments signed, ranging from agriculture, forestry and wildlife management.”
“Bid farewell to Angolan Ambassador to Kenya Sianga Abilio, State House Nairobi. Congratulated him for completing his tour of duty and wished well in all his future endeavours,” he added.
Petroleum geologist engineer
The Angolan ambassador was appointed to the embassy in Nairobi in 2018 and has been in the country for the last six years.
Abilio is a petroleum geologist engineer and a pioneer chemist in the oil-rich Central African country who was airlifted to Algeria for his university studies.
In 1982, Abilio joined the State-owned Sonangol oil company where he rose through the ranks, exiting in 1999 as a director of the company’s board.
At Sonangol, he worked as the Chairman of the Management Board of Kwanda Soyo Base, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonamet in Lobito, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Angola LNG Company and the first Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercury-MST (Telecommunications subsidiary).
Joined government
He joined government in 2008, as the Deputy Minister for Environment and after serving for 10 years, he was appointed in a presidential decree to be Angola’s ambassador to Kenya in 2018.
Abilio has been a member of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) since 1975. MPLA has been in power since Angola gained independence from Portugal.
Back home, the Kenya-Kwanza administration in 2024 embarked on an elaborate plan to ensure ambassadors improve their performance while on duty in foreign lands.
“The department for foreign affairs has put all the ambassadors under performance contracts for their four-year tenure where they do have an initial two-year contract after which evaluation is done and if the performance is poor, the ministry recommends their recall by the appointing authority,” the Budget and Appropriations committee noted in its report on the 2024 Budget Policy Statement.