NAIROBI, Kenya – Thomas Kwaka Omolo, popularly known as Big Ted, has lifted the lid on one of the most unexpected career twists in Kenyan public life, his entry into diplomacy without ever applying for it.
In a candid conversation with Milele FM, the former entertainer revealed that his appointment as Kenya’s Consul-General in Los Angeles came completely out of the blue.
“I never applied. I never even told anyone I wanted that job,” he said.
Big Ted, who served from 2022 to early 2024 representing Kenya across 13 US states on the West Coast, says the shift from media and entertainment to international diplomacy was never part of his plan.
“It just found me,” he implied through his reflections, describing a moment that reshaped how he views opportunity.
He admitted he even questioned how he fit into such a role in the first place.
“I don’t have a degree, so I didn’t see myself in that kind of position,” he noted.
Before the appointment, Big Ted had built a career in media, events, and creative communications, later working within State House communications before being posted abroad.
What makes his story stand out, however, is how he frames it—not as ambition, but as destiny.
“I’ve learned that when something is set for you, it will come to pass in ways you can’t explain or plan for,” he said.
And he anchored it all in faith.
“If it’s God’s will, it is God’s bill. I’ve learned that when something is set for you, it will come to pass in ways you can’t explain or plan for,” he said.
It’s the kind of story that blurs the line between hustle culture and fate. Before becoming a diplomat, Big Ted transitioned from a long entertainment career into government service within the State House communications team.
