57th National Day of The Republic of Kenya: Kenya wins UNSC seat as non-permanent member

Kenya won a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat as a non-permanent member after thrashing Djibouti in the second round of voting. Out of the 193 member countries, 191 voted, and the East African nation of Kenya won 129 votes beating Djibouti, a Horn of Africa nation, which only garnered 62 votes.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed the resounding victory for his country which will open Kenya to contribute to critical global peace and security resolutions.

President Uhuru Kenyatta describes Kenya's win as a demonstration of the country's growing profile and influence in the community of nations as a steadfast and dependable development partner, thanking the African Union for the endorsement as the continent's flag bearer in the contest.

Kenya will now be able to speak on behalf of Africa to come up with reforms and policies that favor the African continent.

The UN Security Council (UNSC), 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 non-permanent members get elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

This win 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. 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, the elections to the Security Council will give the country the opportunity to build consensus across regional and global matters that affect Africa.

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.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020