Amakobe Sande is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative to China. On April 23, 2025, she revealed that she is the only Kenyan currently working for the United Nations (UN) in China.
Sande made the statement during a session with President William Ruto, who was holding a roundtable engagement with Kenyans living in China, including leaders and stakeholders, on the first day of his State Visit to the Asian nation.
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“I do not represent any constituency, Your Excellency, because I am the only United Nations employee in China from Kenya. We have 27 UN agencies in Beijing, and I am the only Kenyan,” she said.
Amakobe noted that this is her second posting in China, having previously served in the country for four years during her first tenure.
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She brings to her current role more than 25 years of experience in international cooperation, development coordination, strategic management, peacebuilding, and humanitarian affairs, both within the UN system and with external organisations.
Before joining UNICEF, Amakobe served as the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Eritrea, where she coordinated 21 agencies supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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The appointment was made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in June 2021, with approval from the host government.
Amakobe Sande profile
Within the UN, Sande has held multiple leadership roles with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), including serving as Country Director and Representative to China.
She also served as Senior Gender Equality Adviser and Team Leader for Country Support in the UNAIDS Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, and held the roles of UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Lesotho, and Country Director in both Malawi and Uganda.
Before joining the United Nations, she held senior positions with international non-governmental organizations such as Oxfam, where she worked as Regional Manager for Southern Africa; Regional Manager for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (including Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia); Deputy Country Representative in Rwanda; and Country Director in Zambia.
She also served as Director for the Southern Africa Partnership Programme of ActionAid International.
In addition to her professional roles, Amakobe has served on various boards and advisory committees, including the Global Campaign for Microbicides, the African Public Health Network, the Southern Africa AIDS Information Service (SAFAIDS), and the China AIDS Fund for Non-Governmental Organizations (CAFNGO).
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Sande holds a master’s degree in development studies from the Australian National University in Canberra, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi, Kenya.
She is a mother of two daughters.
Ruto meets Kenyans living in China
During her remarks in Beijing, Amakobe praised the Kenyan diplomatic mission in China, led by Ambassador Willy Bett, stating that “they make us proud”.
“I have had the privilege of interacting with four Kenyan ambassadors to China, so I can give an objective assessment. Ambassador Bett and his team are first-in-class. This is not a criticism or judgment of previous leadership—it is simply that he has elevated excellence to a level in Beijing that we had not seen before,” she said.
Amakobe also highlighted that the last time Kenya had a representative at the level of UN Under-Secretary-General was when Mukhisa Kituyi served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
While revealing that she has had discussions with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Singo’oei, she urged President Ruto to revisit the matter, suggesting the importance of securing high-level UN representation for Kenya once again.
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