This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
On June 12, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the 5th virtual meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union at State House, Nairobi. The meeting was convened by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union.
President Kenyatta made a final pitch to earn a seat on the world's respected table, saying a vote for Kenya is a vote for global peace. He led a campaign to have Kenya elected to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to represent the Eastern Africa region, which faces opposition from Djibouti.
Kenya has been endorsed by the African Union (AU) for the non-permanent seat on the Security Council. President Kenyatta rallied the envoys, saying, 'A vote for Kenya is a vote for peace. A vote for Kenya is a vote for global solidarity. A vote for Kenya is a vote for multilateralism.'
He cited Kenya's long history of contributing troops to peacekeeping interventions, saying the country had the right credentials to represent the continent in the UNSC. Raila Odinga, the ODM leader, also spoke during the virtual campaign meeting, saying Kenya had served the community of nations with dedication and grace by hosting refugees and sending peacekeepers to troubled lands.
Kenya's experience as the host nation of UN-Habitat and UNEP global headquarters places the country in an advantaged position to champion the world's sustainable development agenda, Raila said. President Kenyatta thanked the AU for endorsing Kenya's bid for the Security Council slot, saying if elected, the country would use the privilege position to advance a pan-Africanist agenda for peace, multilateralism, and global solidarity.
