Kenya shouldn't let Africa down after UNSC victory

President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers his speech during the General Debate of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York last year.

Kenya’s campaign for the non-permanent position at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is over and Kenyans are entitled to some ‘harrumph’ celebrations. To avoid the possibility of failure like Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations, Franklin Roosevelt designed a United Nations that would protect the interests of big powers at the Security Council against the democratic tendencies of most countries at the United Nations General Assembly.

The disempowered others received 10 rotational slots, based on regions, every two years to contribute to global policy-making at the Security Council. The competition for regional chances can be stiff. And Kenya, despite African Union endorsement, faced stiff opposition from Djibouti.