Kenyan award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has finally spoken on claims that the government’s ministry of tourism has been unsuccessfully been trying to reach her for the past 5 years for an ambassadorial role.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala defended the recent appointment of supermodel Naomi Campbell as Magical Kenya’s international ambassador, saying the appointment is set to market Kenya through the model’s international networks.
Balala said this as he faulted people who have castigated the ministry for failing to appoint a Kenyan in the position, saying the ministry makes the appointments while targeting specific markets.
On the question of the suitability of multiple award-winning Kenyan Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong’o for the role, Balala said his ministry had unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with Ms Nyong’o for five years now.
“I know everybody is asking why not Lupita. Lupita has commitments and her managers cannot allow us to access her. We’ve spent the last five years looking for Lupita,” Mr Balala said.
The CS was speaking during the issuance of certificates to some 60 researchers who did studies on the impacts of Covid-19 on travel and tourism industry in Kenya last year, at the Kenyatta University.
However, while responding to Balala’s claims, Lupita laughed off, indicating that she was very much accessible, and that there is no any government ministry that had tried to reach her.
“Me when I hear the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism has been looking for me for fives years. #Imrightherebaby #alternativefacts,” she tweeted.
Lupita’s post stirred mixed reactions, with netizens joining her in castigating Balala for making the ‘false’ claims.
A section of netizens argued that African politicians have a norm of embarrassing themselves.
Some claimed that Lupita’s father, Governor Anyang Nyong’o is easily accessible, and that the ministry could have reached her through the father instead.
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