Kenya endorsed to seek UN Security Council seat

Kenya has been endorsed as a candidate for the UN Security Council nonpermanent seat for the 2021-2022 term, in a vote held Wednesday at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Kenya won the endorsement after a second round of voting by the Permanent Representatives Committee, garnering 37 votes against Djibouti, which got 13 votes. In the first round of voting held on Aug 5, Kenya fell short of a two-thirds majority threshold.

Following the endorsement, the east African country will be Africa's sole candidate for the nonpermanent seat race to be held in New York in June 2020.

Niger and Tunisia were elected in June to serve in the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, representing western and northern Africa respectively.

To win the seat, Kenya will have to get the support of two-thirds of the UN member states.

The UN Security Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, has 15 members. Its permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. The 10 nonpermanent members get elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

Monicah Juma, the cabinet secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, applauded the AU Permanent Representatives Committee for trusting Kenya.

"This endorsement is an affirmation that Kenya has remained true to the decision and aspirations of the African Union and confirms that it is a safe and a dependable pair of hands," she said.

Juma said Kenya is committed to being a bold voice for Africa and shall steadfastly promote and defend the continent's position.

Given Kenya's foreign policy, which is strongly Afro-centric, Juma said the elections to the Security Council will give the country the opportunity to build consensus across regional and global matters that affect Africa.

Mohammed Idris Farah, Djibouti ambassador to the African Union, lauded Kenya for the victory.

"I congratulate Kenya for a well-deserved win and I am sure it will ably represent our great continent at the UN Security Council," he said.

However, on Thursday, the Djibouti government seemed to withdraw its earlier decision to concede defeat.

In a tweet, Mohamed Siad Doualeh, Djibouti's permanent representative to the UN, said his country will continue to vie for the nonpermanent seat.

"Djibouti reaffirms its decision to continue its bid to secure a seat at the Security Council for the period 2021-2022.  We thank all the UN member states that have formally expressed support to Djibouti," he wrote.

According to the UN Security Council's rotation rules, the 10 nonpermanent seats rotate among the various regional blocs.

The five available seats are allocated as follows: two for Africa, one for the Asia-Pacific Group, one for Latin America and the Caribbean, and one for the Eastern European Group.

Initially, the AU had reached the UNSC candidature decision through consensus but Djibouti and Kenya failed to agree on who should step down, leading to the vote.

Since last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta has been lobbying for support of Kenya's bid to secure the UN Security Council seat, a move that would boost the country's position as a regional diplomatic hub.