Ex-envoy Martin Kimani lands senior UN job on Africa affairs

By  Benson Matheka

Correspondent

Kenyan diplomat Martin Kimani has landed a senior United Nations position after Secretary-General António Guterres appointed him Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO).

Dr Kimani succeeds Ghana’s Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, who has served in the position overseeing key aspects of the UN’s political, peacebuilding and peace operations work on the continent.

Announcing the appointment, Mr Guterres expressed his appreciation for Ms Pobee’s service, describing her leadership and commitment to Africa’s peace and security as valuable to the organisation.

Dr Kimani takes up the role with about 25 years of experience in international relations, diplomacy and peacebuilding, having worked across the Kenyan government, regional organisations, the United Nations and the private sector.

The UN described him as bringing “a wealth of expertise across government, regional organizations, and the private sector” to the position.

His appointment adds another high-profile international role to a career that has seen him work at the intersection of diplomacy, security and conflict prevention.

Dr Kimani served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2020 to 2024.

During his tenure, Kenya served as an elected member of the UN Security Council, giving him a prominent role in discussions on international peace and security.

He served as President of the Security Council in October 2021, becoming one of the key Kenyan voices at the UN during a period when the council was dealing with several international security challenges.

He also chaired the Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa and co-chaired the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security in 2022.

In 2023, Dr Kimani served as President of the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme, the UN Population Fund and the UN Office for Project Services.

The role further strengthened his experience in multilateral diplomacy and placed him at the helm of key UN development institutions.

Before his appointment as Kenya’s ambassador to the UN, Dr Kimani headed the National Counter Terrorism Centre and served as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism between 2015 and 2020.

His work focused on efforts to prevent violent extremism and strengthen cooperation in dealing with security threats.

He had earlier represented Kenya at the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat between 2012 and 2015.

Dr Kimani also served in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism, where he worked on regional approaches to conflict prevention.

Beyond government and international organisations, Dr Kimani has held senior positions in the non-governmental and academic sectors.

He served as 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.

These positions gave him experience in policy research, international development and African affairs outside the traditional diplomatic establishment.

Dr Kimani,fluent in English and Kiswahili, holds a PhD and a master’s degree in War Studies from King’s College, University of London, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of New Hampshire

His new UN position comes at a time when Africa continues to face conflicts, political instability, humanitarian crises and growing security challenges.

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