Sri Lanka High Commissioner Kenya appointment remains in limbo nearly five months after approval, raising questions over diplomatic delays and representation.
The Sri Lanka High Commissioner Kenya appointment remains in diplomatic limbo nearly five months after Parliament approved Warnakulasuriya Peter Rohan Dhammika Fernando, raising questions over why Nairobi has yet to formally receive his credentials.
Fernando’s appointment received the approval of Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary Committee on High Posts in March 2026. Before that, he had joined newly appointed Heads of Mission in trade orientation programmes held in Colombo as part of preparations for his overseas posting.
However, diplomatic sources say Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue the formal invitation required for him to present his credentials. The prolonged delay has reportedly left Colombo in an awkward diplomatic position, while Fernando remains unable to assume his official duties.
Questions Surround the Kenya Posting
The continued delay has also fuelled speculation within diplomatic circles.
One question repeatedly being asked is whether former Sri Lankan High Commissioner Velupillai Kananathan, a Rajapaksa-era appointee with long-established connections across East Africa, continues to wield influence behind the scenes.
Kananathan previously served as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Uganda and later as High Commissioner to Kenya with concurrent accreditation to several neighbouring countries. He has long been regarded as an influential diplomatic figure in East Africa because of his reported access to political circles in both Uganda and Kenya.
The issue has attracted further attention because of earlier reports linking Kananathan to the private aircraft used by former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during a pilgrimage to Thirupathi, India.
According to diplomatic sources, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already informed more than 20 concurrently accredited East African countries that Kananathan no longer represents Sri Lanka’s diplomatic service.
If that is the case, observers argue, the delay raises even more questions.
Why has Kenya still not completed the accreditation process?
Why has the new High Commissioner-designate not yet been formally received?
And has anyone in Nairobi been left with the impression that the previous diplomatic network still carries greater influence than Colombo’s latest appointment?
Trade Figures Add Another Dimension
Sri Lanka’s trade relationship with Kenya has also become part of the discussion.
According to the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), Sri Lanka exported goods worth US$32.08 million to Kenya in 2025, while imports from Kenya totalled US$11.41 million.
For a diplomatic mission covering one of East Africa’s most strategically important regional hubs, those figures do not suggest a major trade breakthrough during the previous diplomatic tenure.
As a result, attention has now shifted to Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, with calls for clarification on whether Colombo has formally sought an explanation from Kenya regarding the delayed credentials process.
If Kenya is intentionally delaying the appointment, Sri Lanka deserves an official explanation. If a former envoy continues to project influence after leaving office, Colombo must address the matter publicly and decisively.
A High Commissioner-designate who has already completed parliamentary approval, farewell formalities and diplomatic preparation should not remain indefinitely in uncertainty.
Ultimately, either Nairobi should formally receive Sri Lanka’s new envoy, or Colombo should explain to the public what is preventing the country’s diplomatic representation in Kenya from moving forward.
