Kenyan diplomat Martin Kimani has been appointed the new United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment in a notice dated Monday, September 14, with Kimani succeeding Ghanaian diplomat Martha Pobee, who has served in the position since May 2021.
Kimani brings 25 years of experience in international relations, peace and security, and multilateral diplomacy, having worked across government, regional organisations and the private sector.
Martin Kimani. Photo: Courtesy.
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 between 2021 and 2022, Kimani served as President of the Council in October 2021.
He also chaired the Security 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, Kimani served as President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
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 between 2015 and 2020.
From 2012 to 2015, he was Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat. During the same period, he served as Director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism.
Kimani holds a PhD and a master’s degree in War Studies from King’s College London in the United Kingdom.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of New Hampshire in the United States.
His appointment places him in a senior UN role focused on Africa at a time when the continent continues to grapple with conflicts, peacebuilding challenges and complex security and political issues.
