Kenya and UN to improve relations

Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya (left), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on January 28, 2017 when they held a trilateral meeting in Addis Ababa where they are attending the 28th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly. PHOTO | PSCU 

By CHARLES OMOMDI in Nairobi and PSCU

The strained relations between Kenya and the United Nations are set to improve following a bilateral meeting in Ethiopia.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met Sunday in Addis Ababa where the 2017 African Union summit is taking place.

The meeting, the first in a series of between the UN chief and African leaders, focused on peacekeeping, peace and security and events in South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and Burundi.

“I want the United Nations to be reconciled with Kenya. Let us make a fresh start. Kenya is a very important player in the region and I feel that we have to work together to secure peace and security. Let us put the past behind us,” Mr Guterres told President Kenyatta.

Full confidence

“We want to move forward. We have full confidence in Kenya’s military. As a sign of our confidence in the Kenya Defence Forces, and in the Kenyan government, the UN would like to offer Kenya the Darfur command,” Mr Guterres added.

President Kenyatta said he agreed to a better the relations, and would look forward to senior officials from both sides meeting in Addis Ababa to work out details of the new arrangements.

Mr Guterres also invited President Kenyatta to join a small group of global leaders — drawn from countries with a strong democratic tradition — he was convening as “champions of accountability” in areas such as peacekeeping. The President accepted the invitation.

Kenya withdrew its troops from a UN mission in South Sudan last year after its commander was sacked without consultation with Nairobi.

Global agency

President Kenyatta repeated on Sunday that such an affront to Kenyan dignity was unwelcome because it implied that Nairobi’s efforts in keeping the region secure went unrecognised.

Mr Guterres and President Kenyatta also discussed Somalia and Burundi, with the former saying it was necessary to continue to build capacity for Somalia so that the country could stand on its own again.

The UN chief disclosed that the global agency had no plans of asking Burundi troops to leave Somalia, but wanted Bujumbura to show greater transparency in its dealings.

Mr Guterres urged the leadership of South Sudan to pursue inclusivity as a way of sustaining peace.

The meeting held at the AU headquarters, followed a closed door session between the UN chief and all African heads of state and Government attending the 28th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly.