During the 74th United Nations General (UNGA) summit held on September 23, 2019, the floor was opened for all the 193-member country's to vote on declaring the mistreatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar an abuse of human rights.
Kenya, Tanzania, and 28 other countries absented themselves from the vote, while nine other countries rejected the calls on Myanmar's government to take urgent measures to combat incitement of hatred against the Rohingya and other minorities in the country.
The move by Kenya came despite its interest in the United Nations Security Council's non-permanent member seat (2021/2022) that President Uhuru Kenyatta has lobbied for the world over.
A highly placed source in the ministry of foreign affairs admitted to Kenyans.co.ke on Monday, January 6, that the country had purposefully abstained from casting its vote on the issue.
This, he argued, was because the affairs were not of much concern to the Kenyan or the African populace which was supporting the country's bid for the seat on the elections slated for June 2020.
"First of all that has nothing to do with us. Those are matters to do with other states far away. Let us concentrate on our problems as a country and as a continent. Things to do with Myanmar have nothing to do with us. We abstained because such matters do not concern us. Let us focus on African matters," he stated.
The source, who declined to be named, clarified that issues to do with Asian countries were better placed to be handled by candidates for the UNSC seat from the Asian region.
"As Kenyans, let us focus on things that we have a direct impact on. We are an African candidature, not an Asian one. The Asian candidates joining the UNSC would address the issues in their region," he added.
Among some of the roles that the country would play if it bagged the seat would be to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations.
It would also be charged with determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to recommend preventative action.
While Kenya might be charged with the responsibility of being among the only 15 countries in the world to make decisions on the security future of the world during its tenure in the UNSC, the source revealed that the country's focus would be on representing African ideals.
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