EDITORIAL: Kenya must sustain Africa agenda at UN

The contest between Kenya and Djibouti for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council finally came to an end with a victory for Kenya on Thursday night. The victory did not come easy, going all the way to the second round before Kenya garnered 129 votes against Djibouti’s 62.

Kenya now joins India, Mexico, Norway and Ireland as the newest among the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two years. The rivalry between Kenya and Djibouti has ended and they must now focus on common interests. At any rate the two countries belong to a common geographical zone, are members of the regional bloc Igad and have a presence in Somalia. It is encouraging that Djibouti has been gracious in defeat and congratulated Kenya for the victory. Kenya must reciprocate by extending a hand of reconciliation to Djibouti.

Being a member of the Security Council elevates Kenya among the comity of nations. It can leverage the position to pursue a host of national interests. Indeed, Somalia in particular must be jittery about what Kenya’s victory portends for the maritime border dispute with Nairobi that it took to the International Court of Justice.

Kenya must remain alive to the fact that it was the African Union candidate and the victory was due to the endorsement by the continental union. It must use its tenure to push the pan-African agenda, guided by the nine-point agenda it used to win the seat.

It has to make a mark at the council. Among others, it has to push for reforming the UN. One of the issues on the table is expanding the number of UN’s permanent seats, those with veto powers, to include Africa and other developing nations. So far, this has been a preserve of the US, the UK, Russia, France and China, which emerged as the dominant global powers after the end of World War II in 1945. The global dynamics have indeed changed and Russia, formerly the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, has since splintered. The UN must change with the times.

Closer home, Kenya must seize itself of the African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom) issue, the only combat force supported by the UN. The support, however, has been declining as the UN prefers sponsoring peacekeepers as opposed to fighters. The reality is, the Somalia al-Shabaab insurgents have been around for far too long. They have taken a heavy toll on lives and continue to destabilise the eastern African region.

This is Kenya’s high moment and it must demonstrate to the world that it can make a difference at the global stage.