Battle for UN Security Council seat: Kenya, Djibouti take ‘war’ to New York

A recent UN Security Council meeting in New York. The annual United Nations General Assembly brings together 196 delegates. Kenya and Djibouti are both vying for a non-permanent seat to represent the African Union. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Djibouti played up Nairobi’s current boundary dispute with Somalia as an indicator that the country could not be trusted to handle regional security matters.
• Kenya, however, flaunted its credentials as a pillar of peace in a troubled region, citing in particular its role in assisting millions of Somali and South Sudanese refugees, and ultimately helping the two to form their own governments.

By AGGREY MUTAMBO

Kenya and Djibouti took their bruising battle for the United Nations Security Council non-permanent seat to New York, with each country’s diplomats trying to outdo the other in lobbying for votes.