List of Australian High Commissioners to Kenya

High Commissioner of Australia to Kenya Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office in Nairobi
Incumbent Alison Chartres since 10 August 2017
Style	His Excellency
Nominator	Prime Minister of Australia
Appointer	Governor General of Australia
Inaugural holder	Walter Crocker
Formation	September 1965
Website	Australian High Commission, Kenya

The High Commissioner of Australia to Kenya and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office in Nairobi is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Kenya in Nairobi. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and also holds non-resident accreditation to Burundi (since 1987), Rwanda (since 1987), Somalia, Tanzania (since 1987) and Uganda (since 1965). The High Commissioner also acts as Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office at Nairobi, including the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. The High commissioner is also representative to the East African Community and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. The High Commissioner is currently Alison Chartres since 10 August 2017.

Kenya and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since the Australian government established diplomatic relations with Kenya and Uganda in August 1965. The first Australian representative was Walter Crocker who was appointed as the High Commissioner in Nairobi, with non-resident accreditation to Uganda and as Ambassador Ethiopia. From 1976 to 1984 the High Commissioner was accredited to the Seychelles when it was transferred to the High Commission in Mauritius. From 1962 to 1987 there existed a resident High Commission to Tanzania in Dar Es Salaam. However, with its closure accreditation, along with that of Rwanda and Burundi, was transferred to Kenya. Although the High Commission in Kenya was originally accredited to Ethiopia on its establishment in 1965, a resident embassy in Addis Ababa was established in December 1984. The embassy was closed in 1987, with accreditation returning to Nairobi until the re-establishment of the Ethiopian embassy in 2010. In 1991, with its independence, accreditation was held for Eritrea, until it was transferred to the Embassy in Cairo in 2006.