This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
Kenya Secures Non-Permanent Seat at UN Security Council ¶
On June 18, 2020, Kenya secured a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after the second round of voting.
The East African nation garnered 129 votes, surpassing the two-thirds threshold required to clinch the coveted seat, while Djibouti secured 62 votes.
Kenya's win was a demonstration of the country's growing profile and influence in the community of nations, according to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kenya will serve alongside other 10 non-permanent members and the five permanent members of the council, including Russia, China, the UK, the US, and France.
The African Union, which endorsed Kenya, is pushing for two permanent and five non-permanent seats for African states to be filled by candidates agreed on by the continental body.
Kenya's election to the UNSC marked one of the brightest points of the country's engagement with the world, according to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, charged with ensuring international peace and security.
Kenya will serve in the UNSC from 2021 to 2022.
Soon after Kenya was declared the winner, congratulatory messages poured in from various international organizations and leaders.
The European Union delegation in New York tweeted, 'Congratulations to Kenya, elected today to the UN Security Council for 2021-22. The EU looks forward to further strengthening its cooperation with Kenya Mission to the UN and all African countries represented at the UNSC and beyond in the spirit of the Africa-EU Partnership.'
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the president of the seventy-fourth session of the General Assembly, also sent his heartfelt congratulations.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga stated, 'Kenya's election to the UN Security Council this evening marks one of the brightest points of our engagement with the world. It is also a bold manifestation that with solidarity, Africa, which backed Kenya, can have its way on the global stage.'
