Kenyan diplomat Martin Kimani brings 25 years of experience in diplomacy, peace and security to the senior UN role….reports Africa Daily News Desk
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Kenyan diplomat Martin Kimani as the new Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO).
Kimani succeeds Ghana’s Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, with Guterres expressing his appreciation for her dedicated service in the role.
Kimani brings 25 years of experience in international relations, peace and security, and multilateral diplomacy across government, regional organisations, non-governmental institutions and the private sector.
He previously served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2020 to 2024. During Kenya’s tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2021-2022, he served as President of the Council in October 2021.
Kimani 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 in 2022.
In 2023, he served as President of the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme, the UN Population Fund and the UN Office for Project Services.
Before his posting to New York, Kimani served as Director of Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism from 2015 to 2020.
He was Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat from 2012 to 2015 and previously served as Director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism from 2011 to 2012.
Kimani has also held senior positions outside government. His previous roles include President and Chief Executive Officer of The Africa Center, Executive Director of the Center on International Cooperation at New York University and Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center.
He holds a PhD and a master’s degree in War Studies from King’s College London, as well as a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of New Hampshire in the United States.
Kimani is fluent in English and Kiswahili.
His appointment comes as the UN continues to focus on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peace operations across Africa, where the organisation is engaged in efforts to address conflicts and strengthen regional stability.
