Kenyan diplomat Martin Kimani has been appointed United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, placing him in a senior position overseeing political and peacebuilding affairs concerning the continent.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced Kimani's appointment on September 14, naming him Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations.
He succeeds Ghana's Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee.
The appointment marks another major international role for Kimani, whose career has spanned diplomacy, national security, conflict prevention, international relations and multilateral institutions.
Who is Martin Kimani?
Kimani is perhaps best known internationally for serving as Kenya's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York between 2020 and 2024.
During Kenya's tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2021 and 2022, Kimani served as President of the Security 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 2023, he served as president of the executive board covering the United Nations Development Programme, UN Population Fund and UN Office for Project Services.
Before becoming Kenya's UN ambassador, Kimani served as Director of the National Counter Terrorism Centre and as the President's Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism between 2015 and 2020.
Earlier, he was Kenya's Permanent Representative to the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat from 2012 to 2015.
His regional experience includes serving as director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism between 2011 and 2012.
Experience beyond government
Kimani has also worked outside government.
According to the UN, he has served as President and CEO 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.
His academic background is closely connected to his diplomatic and security career.
Kimani holds both a PhD and master's degree in War Studies from King's College London and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of New Hampshire.
He speaks English and Kiswahili.
What will his new job involve?
Kimani joins the UN's Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, which play central roles in the organisation's work on diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peace operations.
The UN said Kimani brings 25 years of experience in international relations, peace and security and multilateral diplomacy across government, regional organisations, NGOs and the private sector.
His appointment places a Kenyan diplomat in a senior UN position dealing directly with some of Africa's most complex political and security challenges.
It also marks a return to senior multilateral diplomacy for Kimani following his previous tenure representing Kenya at UN headquarters in New York.
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