An apparent diplomatic goof was witnessed at the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday after former Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Aden Mohammed was recognised as a sitting Cabinet Secretary.
The annual meeting is taking place at its headquarters in New York where top officials will discuss the yearly agenda and global issues.
President William Ruto and his entourage were part of the delegates in attendance and their presence was recognised by the Coordinator for Prosper Africa British Robinson.
“I’m pleased to acknowledge His Excellency President William Ruto, and his senior-level government delegation from Kenya today,” she said.
“Including Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Alfred Mutua, Principal Secretary for State Department of ICT and Digital Economy, John Tanui, and Cabinet Secretary and Economic Advisor Aden Mohamed. All protocols observed,” Robison added.
Aden served as the Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development in the Jubilee government from May 15, 2013, to July 2018, when he was transferred to the East African Community, both under former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He resigned in February 2022 to vie for the Mandera governor seat which he lost to Mohamed Adan Khalif.
It wasn’t immediately established whether Robinson’s oversight was a mistake on her end or a deliberate communication to her office by Kenya’s delegation on the composition of Ruto’s entourage.
The high-level week kicked off with a summit aimed at energising worldwide efforts towards the UN’s 2030 development goals, which have been experiencing significant delays.
Despite the summit largely touching on issues that fall under their dockets, Trade CS Moses Kuria and his ICT counterpart Eliud Owalo were not part of Ruto’s entourage.
At the start of the General Debate on Tuesday, September 19, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his annual report on the state of the world.
The UN’s 193 member states will be provided with a platform and 15 to 20 minutes to address the international community.
Kenya has been scheduled to speak during the morning session on Thursday, September 21 alongside Yemen, Central African Republic, Malawi, Kiribati, Zimbabwe, East Timor, Cameroon, Guinea, Burundi, Togo, Serbia, Niger, Dominica, Sri Lanka, Libya, Congo, Gabon, Micronesia and Montenegro.
Neighbours Uganda and Tanzania will make their presentations during the afternoon session alongside Guinea-Bissau, Nauru, Albania, South Sudan, Sudan, Palestine, European Union, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Greece, Israel, Norway, Italy, Malaysia.
However, four out of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council chose to skip this year’s UNGA in a departure from tradition.
These are France, the UK, Russia and China.
The sole permanent member of the UN Security Council attending the prominent gathering will be US President Joe Biden.
