Jane Marriott exits as new British High Commissioner to Kenya appointed

The United Kingdom High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott’s tenure is set to come to an end in July after serving in the role for four years.

Ms. Marriott’s replacement has since been named as Desmond Patrick Neil Wigan, who until now has been serving as the Ambassador to Tell Aviv since 2019.

The British government, in a statement posted on their website, stated that Ms. Marriott will be transferred to another Diplomatic Service appointment at the end of her tenure.

She took to social networking site Twitter to announce the news saying; “After four amazing years, my time in Kenya is up in June - I will miss Kenya and Kenyans enormously.”

Mr. Wigan joined the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2000, and served as a desk officer in the European Union Department for two years.

He was then moved to Tel Aviv from 2002 to 2006 as the First Secretary and Head of Political Section, before transferring to head the Arab Israel and North Africa bureau.

Between 2008 and 2010, Mr. Wigan served as Deputy Director in the Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat, then did a three-year stint in Kinshasa as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Ambassador.

He went on to Mogadishu in the same capacity from 2013 to 2015, before being elevated to the FCO’s Director for Africa from 2015 to 2018.

Mr. Wigan eventually went to Tel Aviv as Ambassador in 2019; a position he has held until his new positing as the British High Commissioner to Kenya.

He is married with two children.