Uhuru Kenyatta set to make maiden address at UN assembly

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President Uhuru Kenyatta with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at State House Nairobi on June 28, 2014. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE 

By B M J MURIITHI
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President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to make his first address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during the 69th Summit which opens in New York on Tuesday next week.

Kenya’s Permanent representative to the UN Macharia Kamau, told theNation Thursday that President Kenyatta’s address is slated for the week beginning September 22 before the opening of the Climate Summit on September 24th.

“I can confirm that the President will be here to attend key multilateral meetings planned during the week, including a speech to the General Assembly,” said Kamau in a phone interview.

The envoy also confirmed that President Kenyatta will participate in the Climate Summit 2014, a prelude to the international climate conference which will be held in France in December 2015.

SECURITY COUNCIL

The President is also expected to formally launch Kenya’s bid to vie for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

Every year, heads of state and governments representing member states of the global body converge at the UN headquarters in New York for multilateral deliberations.

The General Assembly’s regular session commences on the Tuesday of the third week of every September.

Last year, President Kenyatta skipped the august assembly. He instead instructed the envoy to write to the Secretary General explaining that he could not be outside the country while his deputy William Ruto was away.

Mr Ruto was at the Hague for the hearing of his case at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

It was the first time in 50 years that the tradition of Kenya sending either the president or his deputy to the High Level UN gathering was broken.

In a press statement Thursday, Mr Kamau said President Kenyatta would meet with Kenyans living in and around New York on evening of Thursday , September 25. He however did not confirm the venue.

He asked Kenyans wishing to attend the meeting to register on the mission’s website.

“Registration deadline is Friday, 12th September, 2014. Please include any questions you may wish the President to respond to,” said the statement.