{"id":136459,"date":"2021-09-03T07:28:27","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T11:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=136459"},"modified":"2021-09-03T07:28:27","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T11:28:27","slug":"kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

By\u00a0Sir Ronald Sanders<\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. \u00a0 He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. \u00a0The views expressed are entirely his own)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It is good to see that the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has nominated his Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Monica Juma, for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/div>\n

The Kenyan nomination suggests that African nations still believe that the Commonwealth remains potentially relevant to its 54 member states and to the international community, despite the fact that it has lost the radical voice for which it became known and respected in the 1970s 1980s and 1990s.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

In those decades, with Sir Shridath \u2018Sonny\u2019 Ramphal as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth was a leader in combatting racism, including the ugly apartheid regime in South Africa; initiating global engagement on Climate Change and its harmful impacts; documenting international economic inequities and setting out a programme for reform; and putting the multidimensional security concerns of small states on the global agenda. \u00a0Sir Shridath\u2019s successor, his former Deputy, Emeka Anyaoku, continued that leadership role.<\/p>\n

In the following years up to now, the Commonwealth and its main engine, the Commonwealth Secretariat, departed from the role as thought-leader and innovator of creative solutions for issues within the Commonwealth and in the wider world. \u00a0This prompted the Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) at London University, Philip Murphy, to write in his 2018 book, \u201cThe Empire\u2019s New Clothes: The Myth of the Commonwealth\u201d, that the Commonwealth \u201cdoesn\u2019t do very much, but then it doesn\u2019t cost very much\u201d. \u00a0This was an extraordinary statement from the Director of ICwS, which was born in the same year as the modern Commonwealth in 1949. While it caused great alarm \u2013 and even anger \u2013 among Commonwealth devotees, it emboldened those who regarded the Commonwealth, in its radical years, as a nuisance and an obstacle to maintaining the old order that suited them.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The last two decades of paralysis by the official inter-governmental Commonwealth, captured in Murphy\u2019s throw away phrase that it \u201cdoesn\u2019t do very much\u201d, also encouraged those who could see no particular benefit in the Commonwealth and, therefore, no value in an Institute dedicated to Commonwealth studies, such as the ICwS.<\/p>\n

Consequently, in October 2020, London University announced that it was closing ICwS. \u00a0Much to the amazement of those who thought that the Commonwealth was sufficiently on life support that no one would object to ICwS\u2019 burial, more than 90 Commonwealth non-governmental organisations (NGOs) registered vociferous objection. \u00a0This persuaded the University\u2019s Vice Chancellor to establish a committee to inquire into Commonwealth Studies, under the Chairmanship of former British Foreign and Defence Secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind. \u00a0I was invited to serve on the Committee and drafted the report that was finalised by its other distinguished members from government and academia.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

In our report, delivered on July 21, 2021, the Committee concluded that not only should ICwS continue to operate but it should be strengthened to serve a \u00a0contemporary purpose as set out in the first declaration of the 2013 \u201cCommonwealth Charter\u201d which states: \u201cRecognising that in an era of changing economic circumstances and uncertainty, new trade and economic patterns, unprecedented threats to peace and security, and a surge in popular demands for democracy, human rights and broadened economic opportunities, the potential of and need for the Commonwealth \u2013 as a compelling force for good and as an effective network for co-operation and for promoting development \u2013 has never been greater\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The Committee\u2019s report has been accepted by the University and, hopefully, the strength and passion, displayed by the Commonwealth\u2019s NGOs, together with the cogent arguments in the report, will lead to implementation of its recommendations.<\/p>\n

But the issue of whether or not the Commonwealth matters and should be pulled back from a drift to irrelevance, demands more than the passion of NGOs. More especially, it urgently requires belief by governments that it has a role to play in addressing their concerns in their own countries and globally.<\/p>\n

At the heart of generating such belief among governments is the Secretariat and the Secretary-General. \u00a0In nominating Monica Juma, for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General, President Uhuru, reflected his own dissatisfaction with the Commonwealth Secretariat\u2019s recent performance by saying: \u201cThe success of our organization lies in its ability to effectively address the needs of the member states, shape the collective agenda and implement its decisions for the realization of our common aspirations. All these require steadfast leadership at the Secretariat to deliver a dynamic and influential Commonwealth\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 2011, I was a member and rapporteur of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) which submitted a report to Commonwealth Heads of Government, at their request, proposing urgent reform of the Commonwealth. \u00a0In that report, which recommended, among other things, the creation of the \u201cCommonwealth Charter\u201d, the EPG remarked: \u00a0\u201cReinvigoration and refocus do not happen through complacency or inertia. It is complacency and inertia in vital aspects of the Commonwealth\u2019s values that currently pose the most serious threats to the continued relevance and vitality of the Commonwealth itself\u201d. \u00a0Unfortunately, in the almost 10 years since the EPG submitted its report, several of its main findings and priority recommendations remain unattended.<\/p>\n

Neither the Secretariat nor the inter-governmental leadership of the Commonwealth has clothed itself with the purpose of Ramphal and Anyouku, or with the vision of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago who, in 1964, proposed and argued fiercely for a Commonwealth Secretariat that had meaning; that would generate ideas and propose new directions. \u00a0That battle was not easily won. \u00a0Britain and Australia particularly wanted a Secretariat with no authority and with no capacity that would \u201ccut across\u201d the authority of governments.<\/p>\n

Were the latter position followed by Arnold Smith, the first Secretary-General, and by Ramphal and Anyouku, the battles for de-clutching Southern Rhodesia from white minority rule to create Zimbabwe, and for ending apartheid in South Africa and freeing Nelson Mandela, might have been deferred for many more oppressive years.<\/p>\n

There is no doubt of the Commonwealth\u2019s past worth and its future potential. Therefore, it is good that President Uhuru has proclaimed Kenya\u2019s interest in \u201csteadfast leadership at the Secretariat to deliver a dynamic and influential Commonwealth\u201d which he clearly recognises is sorely needed.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. \u00a0 He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. \u00a0The views expressed are entirely his own) It is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":136461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nKenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By\u00a0Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. \u00a0 He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. \u00a0The views expressed are entirely his own) It is […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"493\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\"},\"wordCount\":1076,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\",\"name\":\"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg\",\"width\":740,\"height\":493,\"caption\":\"Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat","og_description":"By\u00a0Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. \u00a0 He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. \u00a0The views expressed are entirely his own) It is […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":740,"height":493,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat","datePublished":"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/"},"wordCount":1076,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/","name":"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg","datePublished":"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-03T11:28:27+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:740\/h:493\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sir-Ronald-Sanders.jpeg","width":740,"height":493,"caption":"Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/kenyas-president-wants-steadfast-leadership-by-commonwealth-secretariat\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kenya\u2019s President wants \u2018steadfast leadership\u2019 by Commonwealth Secretariat"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/136461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}