UN to Fire Kenyan Top Advisor After 4 Years; Here is Why

The United Nations (UN) will on Wednesday, November 27, refuse to renew the contract of Alice Wairimu Nderitu as the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Nderitu was notified by the UN that her contract would not be renewed because she has insisted that Israel’s war with Hamas is not genocide.

She has held the position since 2020.

Nderitu is a distinguished Kenyan mediator and a prominent figure in peacebuilding and violence prevention, who has earned recognition for her work in studying humanity’s worst crimes.

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The Publication that is Getting Her Fired

According to the media outlet, Nderitu published a paper in 2022 on when to refer to a situation as ‘genocide’, asking United Nations officials to adhere to the correct usage of the term.

Further, Nderitu stated that because the term was often misused in referring to large-scale, grave crimes committed against particular populations, it elicited heavy emotions and political sensitivity.

Further, she noted that there were potential legal implications associated with a determination of genocide.

In the paper, the Kenyan explains that the term “genocide” was created in 1944 by Jewish-Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, to describe massacres of entire ethnic groups.

The intention was to eliminate the ethnic groups following the Holocaust.

For instance, she noted the genocide perpetrated by the Hutus on the Tutsis in Rwanda, the Serbian attacks on Bosnian Muslims, and the killings being carried out in Sudan as examples. 

However, the WSJ editorial noted that  Israel’s campaign of self-defence does not qualify.

“As a legal matter, establishing a pattern of violence as a genocide requires demonstrating intent. Israel’s campaign of self-defence doesn’t qualify.

“The war against Hamas has had many deaths, but Israel’s strategy is intended to dismantle a terrorist regime, not eliminate an ethnic group.

“The Jewish state has gone to great lengths to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties, even as Hamas uses civilians as shields so their deaths can be used as propaganda,” said the media outlet.

Also Read: Kenya Takes Stance on Israel, Iran War

The United Nations (UN) on Alice Wairimu Nderitu

According to the UN, Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Alice Wairimu Nderitu on 10 November 2020,  as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

Nderitu has been a recognized voice in the field of peacebuilding and violence prevention, having led as a mediator and senior adviser in reconciliation processes among communities in Kenya, as well as in other African settings.

Also, she served as Commissioner of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission in Kenya (2009-2013) as well as Founding Member and Co-Chair of the Uwiano Platform for Peace, a prevention agency linking early warning to early response in Kenya.

She is also the founder of Community Voices for Peace and Pluralism, a network of African women professionals preventing, transforming and solving violent, ethnic, racial and religious conflicts worldwide.

Ms. Nderitu holds a Master of Armed Conflict and Peace Studies (2013) and a Bachelor of Arts, Literature and Philosophy (1990) from the University of Nairobi.

She is a Transitional Justice Fellow, at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa. She is widely published and is the recipient of awards recognizing her commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts throughout Africa and her innovative approach to mediation.

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