Martin Kimani speaking at a UN session, António Guterres in the round frame / HANDOUT
Kenyan leaders have hailed Ambassador Martin Kimani's appointment to a top UN job as an endorsement of his track record and Kenya's rising clout in global diplomacy.
Kimani has been appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO).
The position places him at the heart of the organisation’s political, peacebuilding and conflict-prevention work on the continent.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei described the appointment as a reflection of Kimani’s diplomatic credentials and Kenya’s standing internationally.
“Huge congratulations to ambassador @AmbMKimani on his appointment as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa for Political Affairs: a testament to his diplomatic acumen and another clear recognition of Kenya’s growing influence in global governance,” Sing’oei said in a post on X.
The PS described Kimani’s elevation not only as a personal career milestone but also as an achievement for Kenya’s diplomatic establishment.
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano described the appointment as a moment of pride for the country.
“Congratulations to Ambassador Martin Kimani on his appointment as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa (DPPA-DPO),” Miano said on X.
Deputy Spokesperson at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, Manoah Esipisu also sent his congratulations.
“A very warm congratulations,” Esipisu said in his message to the newly appointed UN official.
The messages from senior officials and diplomats underline the esteem in which Kimani is held within Kenya’s foreign policy circles, particularly after his previous service representing the country at the United Nations.
Kimani served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York from 2020 to 2024.
During Kenya’s tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council, he served as president of the Council in October 2021 and chaired its Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.
He also co-chaired the Security Council’s Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security in 2022 and, in 2023, served as president of the executive boards of the UN Development Programme, UN Population Fund and UN Office for Project Services.
His return to a senior UN position therefore comes after years of engagement with some of the organisation’s most consequential diplomatic and security processes.
Before representing Kenya at the UN, Kimani served as director of the National Counter Terrorism Centre and as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism between 2015 and 2020.
He had earlier worked with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism and served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UN-Habitat and the UN Environment Programme.
The new appointment will give Kimani a continental mandate that builds directly on that background.
As Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, he will work within the UN departments responsible for political affairs, peacebuilding and peace operations, areas closely linked to conflict prevention, mediation and political transitions across Africa.
Kimani succeeds Ghanaian diplomat Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, whom UN Secretary-General António Guterres thanked for her service before announcing the Kenyan diplomat as her successor.
The appointment has consequently generated attention in Kenya beyond the formal announcement from the UN, with the congratulatory messages highlighting the significance attached to having a Kenyan diplomat assume responsibility for a portfolio dealing directly with Africa’s political and security landscape.
For Sing’oei, Kimani’s elevation is evidence of Kenya’s growing influence in global governance.
