Ambassador Martin Kimani, has concluded his tenure at the influential diplomatic post in New York after serving more than three years as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN).
Ambassador Kimani confirmed Monday that he had completed his tour of duty, thanking former President Uhuru Kenyatta and incumbent William Ruto for allowing him to represent Kenya at the UN.
In his parting shot, Ambassador Kimani, who assumed the position in December 2020, said he was proud of serving Kenya in different capacities.
“Today [Monday], I end my term as Kenya’s Permanent Representative after 1257 days. I was honored by H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta’s appointment and retention by William Ruto. I am proud to have served Kenyans for 12 years in diplomacy, counter-terrorism, regional security, and mediation,” he said.
Amb Kimani will be succeeded by Ambassador Erastus Lokaale.
Ambassador Kimani’s last assignment was delivering Kenya’s backing for Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the United Nations.
During the session, Amb Kimani told the Assembly that Kenya fully supports Palestinian’s right to self-determination and urged the Security Council to reconsider the application as soon as possible.
“We [Kenya] cannot deny others who legitimately seek self-determination any more than we can deny our very being as a nation,” Ambassador Kimani told the Assembly during the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly in New York.
“The Palestinian people aspire for all facets of their governance to be sovereign and peace-loving, and to be reflected in a state that embraces the obligations of full membership, as demanded by Article 4 of the UN Charter.”
Career diplomat
During his stint at the UN, Amb Kimani represented Kenya in the Security Council, serving as its President in October 2021, and chaired the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Before his assignment to head the Mission in New York, Amb Kimani held the position of Kenya’s Director of the National Counter Terrorism Centre.
Kimani also spearheaded peace efforts in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and supported a successful initiative to accelerate East African Community integration.
He has also served as the Permanent Representative to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
As Director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism, he led cross-border conflict prevention and resolution efforts in the Horn of Africa.
On March 18, the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) a leading New York-based think tank on multilateralism appointed Ambassador Kimani Executive Director effective June 3, 2024.
CIC is a nonprofit research center within Arts and Science at New York University (NYU), and advocates for international cooperation to prevent crises and promote peace, justice, and inclusion.
Amb Kimani is a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
He holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London.
