Kenyan Martin Kimani has risen from diplomatic and security circles to one of the senior at the United Nations in what is revealing a track record of top performance, experience, and mastery of the subject matter.
UN secretary-general António Guterres has appointed Mr Kimani as the new assistant secretary-general for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO).
Among other things, an assessment of the continent shows Mr Kimani has been handed a key role going by the nuances of politics and peacebuilding in the region.
He is succeeding Ghanaian Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee.
Kimani holds a PhD and master’s degree in War Studies from King’s College London, University of London. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of New Hampshire in the United States.
The DPPA supports preventive diplomacy, mediation, political dialogue and peacebuilding across regions affected by conflict and political crises.
“Mr Kimani brings to the position 25 years of experience in international relations, peace and security, and multilateral diplomacy across government, regional organizations
and the non-governmental and private sectors,” the UN said.
His new position gives him a major role in shaping the UN’s political and peacebuilding engagement across Africa.
The Assistant Secretary-General for Africa works within departments whose mandate includes conflict prevention, mediation, political dialogue and peacebuilding.
His career has taken him through Kenya’s government, regional organisations, international institutions, academia and the private sector.
One of his most prominent assignments was serving as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2020 to 2024.
During Kenya’s two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Dr Kimani became one of the country’s most visible diplomats on the international stage.
He served as president of the UN Security Council in October 2021.
He also chaired the council’s Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa and co-chaired its Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security.
The UN records also identify him as chair of the African conflict prevention working group during his tenure.
In 2023, he became president of the Executive Boards of the UNDP, UNFPA and UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Dr Kimani gained international attention in February 2022 after delivering Kenya’s statement at the UN Security Council following Russia’s recognition of separatist-held areas of Ukraine.
In the speech, he criticised the use of force to redraw borders and compared Europe’s territorial disputes with Africa’s experience of colonial borders.
He argued that African countries had largely chosen to retain inherited borders rather than pursue territorial expansion through force.
The speech established Dr Kimani as one of Kenya’s prominent voices on international affairs.
Before becoming Kenya’s UN ambassador, he served as director of the National Counter Terrorism Centre and as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism between 2015 and 2020.
From 2012 to 2015, he was Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat.
Between 2011 and 2012, he served as Director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism.
Outside government, he has served as president and chief executive of The Africa Center in New York.
He was executive director of the Center on International Cooperation at New York University and Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center.
The UN has also identified him as a Distinguished Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Global Politics and noted his previous leadership at The Africa Center.
Dr Kimani is a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs principal secretary Korir Sing’Oei offered him “huge congratulations”, adding the role was “a testament to his diplomatic acumen and another clear recognition of Kenya’s growing influence in Global Governance.”
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano described the appointment as a moment of pride for the country.
Deputy Spokesperson at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, Manoah Esipisu, also sent his “warm congratulations”.
Ekitela Lokaale, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, said it was a “well-deserved appointment.”
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