Christopher Thornley, High Commissioner for Canada in the Republic of Kenya and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and to the United Nations Environment Programme

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Greetings, Salutations, Hamjambo!

Welcome to the website of the High Commission of Canada in Nairobi, Kenya.

Canada is represented by the High Commission in Nairobi which is Canada’s largest mission in Africa. Together, we represent Canada across 5 countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Burundi and Rwanda, as well as 2 multilateral bodies, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. A highly dedicated team of Canadian diplomatic and locally engaged staff deliver programs in the areas of political and economic relations, public affairs, immigration processing and visa services, consular, development cooperation, trade and business development and defence and security cooperation. Our activities in the region are supported and complemented by our office in Kigali (Rwanda) and our Honorary Consul offices in Bujumbura (Burundi) and Kampala (Uganda).

Canada and Kenya enjoy excellent cooperation and friendship founded on shared interests. We were pleased, in November 2018, to co-host with Kenya the first global Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, which had over 17,000 registered participants from more than 180 countries. We look forward to working with Kenya in the coming year to build the blue economy we want: prosperous, sustainable and inclusive.

We also work with Kenyans, through our Feminist International Assistance Policy, to advance Kenya’s development, with a focus on education. We are putting women’s and girls’ empowerment at the heart of all our work. Our trade relationship continues to grow, and we are supporting Kenya’s efforts to promote regional security. Our engagement is broad, and holds great promise for further growth.

I would urge you to keep abreast of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories and Travel Reports for the countries in which you reside and travel. Further information is available on the Travel abroad website. If you are a Canadian resident in or visiting Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia or Uganda, please take a moment to register online with the Registration of Canadians Abroad (ROCA).

I hope that you find this website useful and informative and we encourage you to explore the links for more detailed information on the range of services we provide.

Biography

Christopher Thornley grew up in Canada's Rocky Mountains. His scenic hometown of Golden, British Columbia is surrounded by spectacular national parks and is known for world-class alpine skiing.

A graduate of the University of Victoria (B.A Political Science) and Dalhousie University (Master of Public Administration), he began his career with the Province of Nova Scotia in the field of international market development, joining the Canadian Foreign Service in 1990. His first posting was to Stockholm followed by an assignment to the Consulate General of Canada in Boston, U.S.A. From 1999 to 2002, he headed the Consulate General of Canada in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of the Philippines from 2010 to 2013, High Commissioner to Ghana with concurrent accreditation to Togo and Sierra Leone from 2013-2016 and High Commissioner to Nigeria with concurrent accreditation to Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe from 2016-2018. In Nigeria, he was also Canada's Permanent Representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

At Headquarters in Ottawa, he has served in numerous assignments, including as Deputy Director responsible for bilateral relations with India, Director of the Southeast Asia and Pacific Division and Director of Foreign Service Assignments. He has also served as a Director and Acting Director General in the Markets and Industry Services Branch of the Canadian Department of Agriculture. Most recently, he was Director General of Intergovernmental Relations and Regional Operations responsible for much of Global Affairs' domestic footprint.

Mr. Thornley was appointed High Commissioner for Canada to the Republic of Kenya and Canada's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Human Settlements Program in December 2021. He is concurrently accredited to Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda.

He is married to Catherine Thornley. They have 2 sons.