‘I WAS LOST FOR MONTHS’ BIG TED ON LOSING HIS JOB AS LOS ANGELES CONSUL GENERAL 

The former Consul General of Kenya to Los Angeles, Thomas Kwaka popularly known as Big Ted, has opened up about his journey into diplomacy, revealing how a phone call from former President Uhuru Kenyatta changed the course of his life.

In a candid recount of his appointment, Big Ted shared the surreal moment that launched his diplomatic career, “I was buying sneakers when my phone kept ringing. I ignored it until I got home, then called back only to hear, ‘The boss is trying to reach you.’ Moments later, President Uhuru Kenyatta was on the line, offering me the role of Consul General to Los Angeles. I didn’t even know what a Consul General did, I had to Google it!”

The appointment came with strict instructions: keep it confidential until the official announcement. This posed a personal challenge, as Big Ted had to convince his then-girlfriend (now wife) to turn down a major corporate job offer without proof. “I started wearing a U.S. flag pin just to remind the President this was real. For a year, I waited in suspense, with no formal degree and no one believing me not even my mother, who warned me not to ‘misuse the President’s name.’”

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, Big Ted admits he felt out of place so much so that he initially joined the general line in the airport instead of the diplomatic one. But he soon discovered his unique strength. “I realised we struggled in the diaspora because many in these roles aren’t patriots. They don’t love Kenya enough to do more than the bare minimum.”

His tenure ended abruptly when news broke via WhatsApp that President Ruto had appointed a replacement. “One day I woke up to pray at 4am and decided to check my phone. There were a lot of talks about LA. I opened the chat and my heart sank. President Ruto had appointed a new consul general to Los Angeles.

I showed my wife, we knelt, and prayed. Landing at JKIA, my family welcomed me with celebratory Isikuti dancers but inside, I wondered, ‘What now?’ I was lost for months, I struggled. People said they couldn’t ‘afford’ me, but I insisted, ‘Yes, you can.’”