Why President Kenyatta is on a global charm offensive

President Kenyatta led the offensive of enchantment in foreign countries on missions that touched on the security, economy and politics of the United Nations.

In the past month, the President has met Heads of State or their representatives from 18 countries in Kenya and abroad.

Already, figures from the Budget Supervisors show the presidency - occupied by Mr. Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto - spent Sh190 million in the last nine months compared to only Sh36.5 million in 2017/2018, signaling an increase in foreign activity.

MISSION

The first mission is to secure Kenya's seat in the UN Security Council, protect its interests in the Indian Ocean, which is under threat from Somalia, and lobby for expansion of the UN office in Kenya, which brings the country more than Sh36bn in foreign currency and puts Sh1bn in the pocket landlords in Nairobi and other cities.

On Friday night, President Kenyatta met the Head of the Caribbean State under the Organization of East Caribbean States (OECC) and the Caribbean Community (CARRICOM), in Bridgetown, Barbados.


On the sidelines of the meeting, the President reached out to 10 leaders from the region, asking them to support Kenya's offer of temporary seats on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2021 to 2022.

"Kenya's nomination was informed by the important role of the UN Security Council in maintaining international peace and security," President Kenyatta was quoted in a statement sent to the newsroom by the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit.



At home, President Kenyatta has lobbied the East African Community and the leaders of Botswana and Namibia.

Abroad, he has sent envoys to meetings with leaders of China, Russia and the US, although this is still non-commitment.

ASSOCIATION OF GENERAL UN

Kenya is trying to win a seat when the UN General Assembly votes in June next year, hoping to sit on the Council from January 2021 to December the same year.

Kenya faces Djibouti for slots reserved for Africa. Djibouti has refused to resign to Nairobi despite requests and the African Union now wants the two countries to stop it.

"The African Union has the right to elect its representatives for elections to the UN Security Council to act on its behalf and on its behalf," a communique said at the time. Traditionally, countries that fight for the same position are often encouraged to reach consensus or surrender to one another. But Djibouti and Kenya remained in the same race, so the AU voted on August 5.

Kenya scored 33 out of 49 votes, but there is no agreement yet on whether the winner should get a simple majority or two-thirds majority. Final elections will be held on August 21.

"The election on August 5 went according to our expectations," Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau told the Sunday Nation. "The vast majority chose Kenya. The 16 are abstentions, not even one (one) is against. We look forward to the last ballot on August 21. "

Mr Kamau said Kenya was looking for a large majority victory at the AU.

STRONG ORGAN

President Kenyatta then met with Heads of State from Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and other ambassadors before the vote. If Kenya wins African support, it must still win the support of two-thirds of the members of the UN General Assembly who were present when the body held a vote in New York in June 2020.

And this important support is what President Kenyatta is looking for in his overseas tours in Africa and the Caribbean.



The UN Security Council, the UN's most powerful organ, is tasked with maintaining international peace and security. This also costs