UK’s Trade Envoy to Kenya Theo Clark Resigns

The United Kingdom Trade envoy to Kenya Theo Clark has resigned over claims that prime minister Boris Johnson is encouraging sexual misconduct in his leadership.

“As a loyal member of the Conservative Party, I have always supported this Government, and I have supported you personally over the past few years, including campaigning for you in both of your London mayoral campaigns. However, I no longer have confidence in your leadership,’’ she said in a statement.

Theo accused prime minister Boris of ‘’lack of judgment and care” following the promotion of a colleague to a position of pastoral care for MPs. According to Theo, the said colleague is being charged with cases of sexual misconduct and the Prime Minister went on with the promotion despite being aware of the charges the MP is facing.

“As one of the Party’s new female MPs and a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, I take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously. To learn that you chose to elevate a colleague to a position of pastoral care for MPs, whilst in full knowledge of his own wrongdoing, shows a severe lack of judgment and care for your Parliamentary party,’’ reads part of the resignation letter.

Theo Clark was appointed as the UK’s trade envoy to Kenya in 2020 by Prime minister Boris Johnson and has helped the two countries deliver the economic partnership agreement.

In her virtual tour to Kenya last year, Theo monitored projects funded by the UK government in Kenya among them the Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS), Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS), and Regional Electronic Cargo and Driver Tracking System (RECTDS) implemented in partnership with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

The UK has been one of Kenya’s top export markets. For instance, in 2019, trade between the two nations was worth 79 billion shillings. Main Kenyan exports to the UK in the year were coffee, tea, flowers, and vegetables.  The UK market accounted for 43 percent of total exports from Kenya

On the other hand, the UK is the largest European foreign investor in Kenya, with more than 100 British firms based in Kenya among them Vodafone, BAT, Diageo, Standard Chartered Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, ACTIS, Unilever, and De La Rue.