United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary General Mukhisa Kituyi has announced his decision to leave the organisation.
Speaking during a ceremony in Matungu, Kakamega County on Friday, January 8, 2021, he stated that he would return to Geneva headquarters to clear in two weeks.
“I cannot participate in politics directly because of my international obligations. I will, however, announce my departure from Geneva in the next two weeks to start the presidential campaign,” he said.
His term at the UN agency was expected to end in August after his 7-year stint since he took over in 2013.
He noted that Kenya suffered a crisis of leadership which he vowed to help solve.
In a message to the local community, Mukhisa stated that the Western region lacked representation in the national leadership.
“The secret of accessing resources from the government is not to wait for appointments. You need to be among the conveners of the round table where resources are shared,” he advised.
Kituyi has an extensive background as an elected official, an academic, and Minister of Trade and Industry from 2003 to 2007.
During this period, he chaired the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Council of Ministers of the and the African Trade Ministers' Council for two years.
He also served as chairman of the Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, and was lead negotiator for Eastern and Southern African ministers during the European Union-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations.
Mukhisa plans to use his experience and insights in the trade industry to drive Kenya’s economic growth.
“I have a sense of shared empathy with the vulnerable, not only a desire to give hope to the hopeless but a burning ambition that through enterprise in Kenya, I can be part of the solutions to build Kenya for the next generation,” he expressed during an interview in late 2020.
