Former President Uhuru Kenyatta met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin on Monday, February 17.
This has sparked a wide range of speculation if the former president is going for the global UN’s office as United Nation’s secretary general.
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Some social media users captioned the former president meeting with South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa,” Uhuru Kenyatta for UN sec. Gen.”
X user Dr Mumbi Seraki went online to suggest that Uhuru meeting world leaders is a clear indication that he is the next United Nations secretary general.
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During Thursday’s parliamentary proceedings minority leader and Suna East member of parliament Junet Mohammed said that coming next year a Kenyan can vie for the United Nations Secretary General position.
Uhuru Kenyatta’s Role
President William Ruto appointed Uhuru Kenyatta as envoy to Ethiopia, Great Lakes region immediately after the 2022 general elections in Kenya.
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Under the leadership of the former President, Kenya has moderated various peace initiatives in the region including chairing the African Union Peace and Security Council- the standing decision-making organ of the continental body for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in Africa.
Kenyatta’s appointment came a day after Tigrayan forces agreed to negotiate with Addis Ababa under the auspices of the African Union.
Also Read: Uhuru Complains of Being Sidelined in DRC Peace Talks
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta joined Members of the African Union (AU) joint committee meeting of the Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mechanism (MVCM) in Nairobi.
Speaking during the meeting, Kenyatta who is also an AU High-Level Panel Member congratulated the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the TPLF for the progress so far made and for upholding the end of the bargain towards ensuring a long-lasting peace in the Tigray region. He noted that the silencing of the guns has largely attributed to a return to normalcy within the area.
President Ruto on Uhuru’s peace mediations
President William Ruto has justified his recent appointment of his former boss, Uhuru Kenyatta as a peace envoy in some conflicted regions across the continent.
President Ruto, speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, reiterated that he is confident in his predecessor’s capabilities to deliver in his new mandate.
On why he chose to install the ex-president despite their presumed bad blood and political rivalry, the Head of State intimated that he had put the past behind and is now focused on taking the country forward, irrespective of political affiliations.
He went on to underscore that his fallout with the form President Kenyatta was purely political and therefore it should not be misconstrued to mean he is harbouring a grudge against him.
During his inaugural speech following his swearing-in ceremony, President Ruto hailed Kenyatta for steering peace initiatives, especially in Ethiopia and the Great Lakes Region which comprises the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.), Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda
Also Read: Uhuru Cracks Up Mourners in Moving Tribute of His ‘Bottle’ Friend
Uhuru Kenyatta on Congo Crisis
Uhuru Kenyatta is a lead mediator in the Congo crisis. Kenya’s former president has defended the EAC-backed mediation, saying it promises a better path to long-term peace. Kenyatta’s peace deal is supposed to bring armed groups to the table with Congolese authorities. Congo accuses Rwanda of arming the M23 rebel group. Rwanda has denied the reports.
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