Edward Clay
Sir Edward Clay KCMG is a retired British diplomat, formerly a High Commissioner and ambassador.
During his time as British High Commissioner in Kenya, Sir Edward earned a reputation for his willingness to speak out against corruption at high levels of the Kenyan government. In a speech made in July 2004 to the British Business Association of Kenya, he famously remarked that the "gluttony" of senior figures in the government of President Mwai Kibaki was causing them to "vomit all over our shoes". His outspoken views earned him widespread popularity among Kenyan citizens but he became persona non grata with the Kenyan government. More surprisingly, his own government also came to see him as problematic, undermining the distribution of British aid funding to Kenya.
He won a scholarship to study at Magdalen College, Oxford.
Career summary
- 1968: joined Foreign Office, London
- 1970: posted to British High Commission, Nairobi
- 1973: appointed Second Secretary, British Embassy in Sofia
- 1975-1979: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London
- 1979-1982: First Secretary, British Embassy in Budapest
- 1982-1985: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London
- 1993-1997: British High Commissioner to Uganda
- 1994-1995: Non-resident British ambassador to Rwanda
- 1994-1996: Non-resident British ambassador to Burundi
- 1997-1999: Director, Public Diplomacy and Public Services, FCO, London
- 1999-2001: British High Commissioner to Cyprus
- 2001-2005: British High Commissioner to Kenya
Honours
- 1994, CMG
- 2005, Honorary Doctorate of Laws from University of Sunderland
Retirement