Why President Uhuru wants CS Amina to head the WTO

President Uhuru Kenyatta is at the forefront lobbying for Sports CS Amina Mohammed, on the international scene to be the next WTO Director General. This is not first time the Head of State is taking up such a role. In February 2017, Kenyatta personally dispatched a team of diplomats across the continent, to seek support of African states when Amina went for the African Union Chair post.

”As a firm believer in the strengthening of international multilateral institutions, Kenya is convinced of the urgent need to revitalize the WTO to better serve the needs of all nations, large and small. We also believe that it is time that Africa took up her responsibility of serving at the helm of WTO,” Uhuru said on Thursday.

The Head of State is believed to have confided in his top confidants, on his vision of leaving a country where women have been given and equal opportunity. Women leadership and creating an enabling environment for girls to compete fairly with the boys, is something the President has taken on a personal level.

”Kenya offers Amina C. Mohamed, a uniquely qualified person, to lead the WTO at this critical time. If selected, she would be the first African and indeed, the first woman to serve at the helm of the World Trade Organization,” he added.

However, the choice of Amina Mohammed ought not to come as a surprise to Kenyans. The CS understands the WTO, understands its processes, having chaired all its high-level decision-making bodies. For example, the Ministerial Conference, General Council, Dispute Settlement Body as well as the Trade Policy Review Body.

Six candidates from Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria and South Korea are running to replace the outgoing Director General  Roberto Azevedo — the Brazilian career diplomat who is stepping down a year early at the end of August.

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