Former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday held a high-level meeting with a senior United Nations (UN) official in his capacity as the East African Community-led Nairobi Process Facilitator.
Revealing the details of their meeting, Huang Xia, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region revealed that he met with the former president in preparation for his upcoming brief to the UN Security Council on the Great Lakes Region.
In the virtual meeting, the two leaders discussed the next steps in the Nairobi process and the way forward to ensure closer coordination between the Nairobi and Luanda Processes.
“Our exchange focused on the next steps of the Nairobi Process as well as the way forward to ensure a closer coordination between the Nairobi and Luanda Processes,” the UN official said in a post.
UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia (Left) with Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi & other UN Officials, 29 September 2024.
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Huang Xia
EAC Heads of State in July 2022 appointed Uhuru as the facilitator and tasked him with championing peace and overseeing the implementation of the Nairobi Process.
This role requires him to mediate discussions between conflicting parties, foster dialogue, and build consensus on sustainable peace solutions.
In addition to mediating peace talks, Uhuru is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the progress of the Nairobi Process. This includes assessing the adherence to agreed terms, identifying potential challenges, and recommending corrective actions to ensure the process stays on track.
Uhuru is also charged with overseeing the establishment and management of a special Fund. This Fund is designed to provide the financial resources needed to carry out peacebuilding activities, including mediation sessions, community engagement programs, and capacity-building initiatives.
This comes after Uhuru was on September 28, appointed to join the board of the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa.
Uhuru’s role will involve providing strategic oversight and shaping the broad agenda for the Forum’s annual discussions, scheduled to take place in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, from October 25-27, 2024.
Back home, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who is facing impeachment has turned to Uhuru, his friend turned foe, for political help, describing him as the undisputed kingpin of the Mt. Kenya region.
The former president has however steered clear of the political debate choosing to maintain a studious silence.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta attending the Episcopal Ordination of two Catholic bishops in Nairobi on April 6, 2024.
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Moses Wetangula
