TradeMark EA boss, five others in Kenya get Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee awards

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TradeMark EA boss, five others in Kenya get Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee awards

Friday June 03 2022

Trademark East Africa chief executive Frank Matsaert. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Six British nationals based in Kenya are among 1,134 recipients of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday honors for their contributions to public life, including TradeMark East Africa chief executive Frank Matsaert.

The awards were given ahead of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations as she marks 70 years on the throne in a four-day fete in the UK, which began on Thursday.

The honors went to UK nationals worldwide for their contribution to “sustained public service, the environment and sustainability, and youth engagement.”

Mr Matsaert is the founding CEO of the trade aid agency that has been helping in the integration of the East African Community (EAC) by supporting cross-border trade since 2010.

The Nairobi-based TradeMark East Africa has been involved in the development of one-stop border posts in EAC, the Mombasa port, and the upgrade of customs systems for revenue authorities in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda.

Reading: TradeMark in Sh464m grant to help firms get trade deals

“I am deeply honored by the Queen and UK Government for this recognition of TradeMark East Africa’s work in supporting trade and economic development in Eastern Africa over the last twelve years. It has been a privilege and an honor to found and lead such a dynamic and impactful organization,” said Mr Matsaert.

Mr Matsaert was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his “services to trade and economic development in East Africa.”

Reverend Clive Beckenham and his wife Mary, founders of Nairobi-based children’s New Life Home Trust, got an MBE for “services to abandoned and vulnerable children with HIV in Kenya.” The home was founded in 1994, with Rev Beckenham serving as the CEO and Mary as the nursing manager.

Trust for African Rock Art (Tara) founder and executive chairman David Coulson and John Onslow, a project manager at Vanessa Grant Trusts, an education charity, also received the honours.

Mr Coulson was honored for “the recording, preservation and valorisation of rock art in Africa,” while Mr Onslow for services to “education, particularly girls’ education and special educational needs in Rongai, Kenya.”

Reading: Art of enjoying and conserving rock gems

Richard Long, the principal at Richard Long & Co and the founder-director of the Mara Rianda Charitable Trust, was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his work in education and medical care among the Maasai community.

In East Africa, Maralyn Bambridge, a pastor and founder of Engalynx, a charity supporting vulnerable women and children in Rwanda, received an MBE.

Ronald and Susan Hayes, co-founders and trustees of Africa’s Children in Education in Tanzania, and Margaret West, co-founder of Friends of Margaret Junior School charity in rural Uganda, also received the British Empire medals.

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