This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
Kenya's bruising campaign to capture the UN Security Council seat has exposed deep-seated fractures within the African Union, as Djibouti and its supporters fought to the very end in defiance of the continental body's endorsement of Nairobi's sole candidature.
On June 18, Kenya won the non-permanent UNSC seat after a tense campaign that saw neighboring countries take strong positions against each other, handing Nairobi a tough task of healing rifts while representing the continent on the world's most important body for fostering peace and international security.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said Nairobi would represent every country's needs, and thanked Djibouti for being a 'worthwhile opponent.' Djibouti congratulated Kenya on the victory, signaling the end of what had been a bruising campaign that saw Nairobi describe its opponent as 'dishonourable' in conduct.
Kenya garnered 129 votes against Djibouti's 62 in the second round of voting.
Despite the AU's endorsement of Kenya, Djibouti had amassed some 100 MoUs with individual countries, taking advantage of bilateral ties to secure support for the vote. However, it lost some 40 votes from those who signed MoUs.
On June 18, Djiboutian President Ismail Guelleh promptly conceded defeat and congratulated Kenya. Somalia's congratulatory message also followed.
Kenya's Foreign Affairs Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba said, 'Maturity entails the ability to draw a distinction between rivalry and enmity. Djibouti has been a very worthy rival in this bid, never an enemy. The campaigns and the vote are behind us now.'
He added, 'We want to quickly rally the region, the continent, and the globe around the issues that matter, which are encapsulated in Kenya's 10-point agenda.'
Some international relations scholars feel that Kenya should pick lessons from the bruising campaigns and work harder to defend the legitimacy of the African Union.
Mustafa Ali, chairman of the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, said, 'Djibouti should not have disregarded African Union's endorsement of Kenya. Kenya will now have to work harder and focus on its faithful friends, while at the same time wooing doubting ones on its side.'
