UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Kenya, set to meet Ruto

By , K24 Digital
On Wed, 3 May, 2023 10:09 | 2 mins read
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with Foreign CS Dr Alfred Mutua
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with Foreign CS Dr Alfred Mutua. PHOTO/Courtesy

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has landed in Kenya for a two-day official visit.

Guterres was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua.

Mutua announced that Guterres will meet President William Ruto and hold talks on security and humanitarian situation in Sudan.

"The Secretary-General will hold talks with H.E President William Ruto. Top of his agenda is the security and humanitarian situation in Sudan as well as holding consultations with all the Heads of UN Agencies who are meeting in Nairobi this week," Mutua said.

UN trust on Ruto

The visit comes weeks after reports emerged that the UN's top organs do not trust President Ruto.

According to a leaked confidential chit-chat between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his deputy Amina Mohammed, Mohammed allegedly told Guterres that President Ruto is ruthless and that she does not trust him.

In response to the allegations, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said that the chat was taken out of context, and does not reflect Mohammed's opinion.

"The distorted and out-of-context reporting of Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's private conversations does not in any way reflect her views and opinions. Throughout her career, she has been an unimpeachable, strong voice for Africa and its leadership on the international scene," Dujarric said.

"The Deputy Secretary-General has full confidence and respect for the leadership of President William Ruto and looks forward to travelling to Nairobi later this month for a previously scheduled trip. She looks forward to meeting with the President of Kenya and the UN leadership. Kenya has been through the decades and continues to be a very generous host to UN institutions and a very important contributor to the international agenda," Dujarric added.

The chit-chat between Guterres and Mohammed was leaked by an unidentified man in his mid-20s who at some point worked in a military base.

The unidentified man posted the leaks in a social media group under Discord — an instant messaging social platform.