The case of Kenya illustrates an accusation that is frequently made against the UN: to be conniving with authoritarian governments.
After the African country was elected last year for a temporary chair at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the organization is considering transferring to Kenya by 2026 the headquarters of three agencies today located in New York.
In February, the first secretary of the Kenyan Government Office, Musalia Changeadi, announced that the country is being quoted to receive the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) headquarters, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment (UN Women).
Nairóbi, the Kenyan capital, has been headquartered since 1996 of one of the four UN’s main offices, headquarters of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Program for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat).
New York, Geneva and Vienna are the other three cities that houses the main structures of the UN, and the transfer of more agencies to Kenya would be a great recognition, increasing the importance of the office. However, the current Kenyan government is far from deserving any honor.
William Ruto, President of Kenya since 2022, has been a worrying history of human rights violations. Before occupying the presidential chair, he was vice president and minister of three different folders (interior, agriculture and higher education).
Ruto was among those indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for involvement in political violence in Kenya between 2007 and 2008, but the accusations against him were withdrawn in 2016.
Since he became president three years ago, allegations of disrespect for human rights have become common again in Kenya.
Last year, when the African country launched its candidacy for a chair at the UN Human Rights Council for the 2025–2027 period, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) NGO released a letter expressing opposition.
The document cited a series of violations committed by rut management, such as repression of protesters and activists: KHRC reported arrests of human rights defenders, police excessive force against strikers, and residents of informal settlements that opposed travel and, more serious, the violent response to protests that occurred in June and July 2024, against a law that proposed taxes.
“The National Police Service (NPS) and other security agencies responded with brutal force, resulting in the deaths of at least 60 people. Police were also responsible for numerous kidnappings, forced disappearances of 65 people and for the illegal arrest of more than 1,400 peaceful protesters,” said the NGO.
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KHRC has also mentioned arbitrary investigations and persecution of civil society organizations that criticize ruthless management and a warning that the government issued to press vehicles so that they would not cover live protests with violence.
Another point highlighted by the NGO was the deliberate disrespect of the Kenyan Executive to Orders of Justice. An example quoted was that of former interim police officers Gilbert Masengeli, who ignored seven court orders to reveal the whereabouts of three human rights advocates kidnapped by security forces.
However, the KHRC appeal was in vain: in a vote at the UN General Assembly, Kenya won the temporary chair on the Human Rights Council.
The UN itself denounced the repression in Kenya
Interestingly, the United Nations themselves made a warning of violations of the Kenyan government last month.
A UN High Commissioner Bulletin for Human Rights (OHCHR) mentioned that there were at least 11 deaths and 567 arrests in new protests on July 7, after 15 protesters were killed and hundreds were injured during protests on June 25 in Nairóbi and other Kenya points.
Ohchr spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani stated in the statement that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, “repeats its appeal for all reported murders and other alleged violations and abuse of international human rights law, including the use of force, being investigated quickly, completely, independent and transparent”.
After the temporary chair on the Human Rights Council, it is not yet known if the UN will really reward Kenya again, with the transfer of three New York agencies.
In early August, UN Assistant spokesman Farhan Haq said such conversations are still “in the early stages.”
“It’s not a certain decision. There are certain options being considered to make the United Nations less costly,” said Haq, according to information from The Kenya Times.
“One of the measures being considered is to transfer more UN operations to the field and to lowest operating locations. This is something that relevant agencies will be analyzing,” he added. It remains to be seen if the UN will consume this vexation.
