Ambassador Lucy Kiruthu, the nominee for Kenya’s Ambassador to Bangkok, has pledged to protect Kenyans from being lured into fake job opportunities abroad.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, Amb. Kiruthu said she would prioritize economic diplomacy while also working to address the growing issue of human trafficking.
Amb. Kiruthu currently serves as Acting Director General for Political and Diplomatic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has also served as Deputy Permanent Representative at Kenya’s Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.
Asked by MP Martha Wangari about strategies to improve trade with Thailand, the nominee said she would push to expand market access for Kenyan products such as coffee and work closely with organizations like the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
“If approved, I will seek to diversify our products and include others we are not selling in Thailand. I will also work with relevant institutions to increase foreign direct investment. Thailand is strategically positioned as a gateway to the ASEAN region, a market of 670 million people with a GDP of USD 3.6 trillion. We should use Thailand to export goods and attract funds from the bigger Asian region,” she said.
On the issue of trafficking, Amb. Kiruthu admitted that many Kenyans had fallen victim to fraudulent recruitment agencies that advertise non-existent jobs in Thailand, Myanmar, and other countries.
“We must prevent Kenyans from being lured into imaginary jobs. We need to raise awareness among the youth, deal firmly with rogue recruitment agencies, prosecute those responsible, and work with governments to rescue and repatriate victims,” she said.
She further noted that Kenya and Thailand, both members of the UN Human Rights Council, could use their positions to push for stronger measures against human trafficking.
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