This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
On June 18, 2020, Kenya made history by clinching a seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), but the victory was overshadowed by a fake voting list that circulated on social media.
According to Chapter XI of the UN Security Council Provisional Rules of Procedure, votes are not administered by the UNSC, contradicting the fake list that was doing the rounds.
"Any meeting of the Security Council held in pursuance of the Statute of the International Court of Justice for the purpose of the election of members of the court shall continue until as many candidates as are required for all the seats to be filled have obtained in one or more ballots an absolute majority of votes," states the UNSC rules.
Richard Gowan, the UN Director at Crisis Group, also debunked the list, stating that UNSC votes are secret and administered by the United Nations President of General Assembly, not the UNSC.
He further revealed that one of the countries listed in the fake document was not a member state of the UNSC, and that Kosovo is not a UN Member State.
The list sparked outrage, particularly after it showed Tanzania and Uganda voting for Djibouti in the second round of voting, and China's ally backing Djibouti despite their close ties.
Kenya was elected to the UNSC in a second round of voting, with 192 ambassadors casting their ballots during pre-determined time slots due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kenya garnered 113 votes in the first round, while Djibouti secured 78 votes, with a total of 192 votes cast and only 1 declared an invalid ballot.
