Uhuru presses for Kenya to get UN Security Council seat

President Uhuru Kenyatta leads a charm offensive in foreign countries to secure Kenya's place on the UN Security Council and press for support for its position on Somalia in the face of heightened confrontation between the two countries .

In the past three weeks, the President has met with heads of state or their representatives from 18 countries in Kenya and abroad.

EVASIVE

Already, the budget controller's figures show that the presidency - occupied by Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto - has spent 190 million shillings in the last nine months, compared with only 36.5 million in 2017/2018, which shows the intensification of activities abroad.

On Saturday, President Kenyatta met with Caribbean Heads of State who are members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECC) and the Caribbean Community (CARRICOM) in Bridgetown, Barbados.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the President asked 10 leaders in the region to support Kenya's bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period from 2021 to 2022.


"Kenya's candidacy is informed by the crucial role that the UN Security Council plays in the maintenance of international peace and security," Kenyatta said in a statement sent to newsrooms by the United Nations presidential strategic communication.

In his country, President Kenyatta has lobbied the East African community and the leaders of Botswana and Namibia.

Abroad, he sent emissaries to meetings with leaders from China, Russia and the United States, even though they were still not engaged.

Kenya is seeking a seat in the United Nations General Assembly vote next June, hoping to sit on the Council from January 2021 to December of the same year.

The United Nations Security Council, the most powerful organ of the United Nations, is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is also responsible for admitting new members to the United Nations and can approve any amendment to the United Nations Charter, the United Nations formative law.



It has 15 members, but only five of them are permanent and have a veto, which means they can block a substantive decision such as punishing a head of state as a peace-maker. in the world. They include Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A seat will be won for the African continent when the United Nations General Assembly will meet for a vote in New York in June 2020.

MARITIME DISPUTES

A campaign brochure states that Kenya wants to contribute to the agenda of "the times in which we live", citing new areas for the construction of the economy by exploiting its resources and preventing the exploitation of its resources.

However, this strategy is threatened by a dispute with Somalia, which has sued Kenya before the International Court of Justice, seeking to redraw the maritime boundary in an area believed to contain oil deposits.

The president's visits came as Parliament encouraged the government to intervene militarily to prevent Somalia from claiming part of the Indian Ocean islands, which have oil and gas deposits.

If elected as a non-permanent member, Kenya will not be able to vote on substantive issues such as security. but sitting on the council provides the opportunity to lobby, officials say. For example, the United Nations Security Council, if it views the dispute as a potential threat to global peace and security, may encourage the parties to negotiate.

Kenya is also calling for Al-Shabaab to be registered as a terrorist organization to stop the movement of goods in the controlled area, freeing the terrorist organization from the funds it uses to launch attacks in Kenya.



Kenya launched a diplomatic offensive at the UN last week. Foreign Minister Macharia Kamau said adding Al Shabaab to the Al Qaeda / ISIL sanctions category would focus on "global efforts to tackle the group".

"That caused serio