Britain has for the first time appointed a woman as its High Commissioner to Kenya.
Ms Jane Marriott, the director of United Kingdom government’s Joint International Counter-Terrorism Unit, was Thursday announced as a successor of the outgoing envoy Nic Hailey.
“Ms Marriott is the first woman to be appointed to the role. She brings a wealth of experience to the position, having worked across many UK government departments including the foreign and commonwealth office, the cabinet office, the home office and the ministry of defence,” read a statement sent to newsrooms by Ms Alice Simpson, the British Commission’s head of communications, Kenya and Somalia.
Ms Marriott previously served as Her Majesty’s ambassador to Yemen, and British deputy ambassador to Iran, and has also undertaken postings in the US, Iraq and Afghanistan.
She has also served as chief speechwriter to the secretary of state for defence.
Her official Twitter account has already been edited to reflect the new role.
Ms Marriott is expected to take up her appointment in September 2019.
The High Commissioner is the UK government’s representative in a Commonwealth nation. They are responsible for the direction and work of the High Commission.