Jump to navigation

Kenya

Careless talk about 'ruthless' Ruto

The leak of a caustic aside by the deputy head of the UN triggers a diplomatic furore

Of the over 500-gigabyte cache of classified defence documents in the so-called Pentagon leaks, a conversation between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his deputy Amina J Mohammed, a former environment minister in Nigeria, in mid-February has caused consternation in Kenya (AC Vol 61 No 20, Amina misses out again).

Mohamed is reported to have told Guterres, that Kenya's President William Ruto is 'ruthless' and that she does not trust him. 

Mohamed's views on Ruto will surprise few in Kenya or abroad but the revelations are embarrassing for her and some of her UN colleagues. They may also confirm Ruto's suspicions that he lacks allies in the international system despite his intensive wooing of western governments over the past year.

Ruto's social media machine has swung into action, blaming the leaks on opposition leader Raila Odinga. Insiders have warned that Ruto will ensure that UN officials pays a steep price for the diplomatic embarrassment (AC Vol 63 No 5, Alliances come under heavy fire). 

Lost in the coverage in Kenya is that the United States and many of the most powerful UN member states conduct intense surveillance inside the UN headquarters and beyond.



Related Articles

Alliances come under heavy fire

Governments across Africa are reviewing ties with Moscow as the international crisis over its Ukraine invasion deepens

Africa is not directly concerned by the Russia-Ukraine war, yet the African Union and a few member states have made their views known loudly, in contrast with their sotto voce resp...

READ FOR FREE

Who (if anybody) will try the killers?

A fair trial for murderous politicians seems as unlikely as ever, despite the latest proposal

The effort continues to keep the post-election violence of 2007, and those responsible, out of the International Criminal Court. One favoured way of doing that is to set up a Kenya...


Confused response to terror attacks

President Kenyatta claimed 'local political networks' were to blame for the atrocities on the Coast. It’s not the only bizarre circumstance of the shootings

The spectre of a breakdown in Kenya's national security faces President Uhuru Kenyatta in the wake of terrorist attacks on the north-eastern coast that claimed more than 50 lives. ...


Biting the snake

'If you prod a rattlesnake, you must be prepared to be bitten', is how Kenya's Internal Security Minister, John Njoroge Michuki, explained the police raids on the night of 1 March....