Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua Wednesday officially opened the Annual Kenya Diaspora Homecoming Convention in Nairobi.

Dr. Mutua noted that President William Ruto's government acknowledges the importance of Kenya's diaspora population in the country’s economy. The CS indicated that the Ruto administration created a new State Department specifically for Diaspora Affairs because of the critical role the diaspora plays in the nation’s development. 

Dr. Mutua promised to provide more support for Kenyans through the missions abroad "in order to mainstream and empower Kenyans abroad,"

"We'll be posting officials starting with 20 missions, and we'll have a diaspora department in all our missions very soon," he said.

While describing himself as a product of the diaspora, Dr. Mutua shared his personal experiences and encouraged the group to take advantage of the opportunities being provided by the government to not only grow themselves as individuals but also come back home and help grow our nation.

The opening ceremony was attended by among other guests, the newly appointed PS of Diaspora Affairs Ms. Roseline Njogu, US Ambassador H.E. Meg Whitman, some members of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Foreign Relations, and Dr. Shem Ochuodho, the Global Chair of the Diaspora Association.

Kenya has an estimated 3 million people living and working in the diaspora, whose remittances total over 300 billion shillings, he announced the setup of new Diaspora offices in Kenya missions abroad. 

This year's convention which is running between 7th and 9th December is themed "Inclusive growth leveraging diaspora resources" and is being held at Ole-Sereni hotel, Nairobi.