United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Kenya’s former UN Ambassador Martin Kimani as Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations.
Kimani succeeds Ghana’s Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee.
He brings 25 years of experience in international relations, peace and security, and multilateral diplomacy.
Kimani served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York from 2020 to 2024.
During Kenya’s tenure on the UN Security Council, he served as Council President in October 2021 and chaired its working group on conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.
He has also served as Director of Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre, the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism, and Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat.
Kimani holds 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.
