In December 2020, Kenya's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Martin Kimani, noticed a lot of fear after arriving at his high-rise office in New York City, US.
Kimani had just been posted to the big apple after being approved by Parliament as Kenya's new representative in one of the country's busiest missions the world over.
At the time, the most vibrant city in the world, New York, was just emerging from a dark year dotted by Covid-19 infections, loss of lives and a tumbling economy.
For the Ambassador, who has been ranked among Top 100 Kenyans 2021, however, his ascend to the top is nothing short of meteoric.
"My vision is to really reflect our national vision for this position because these the vision that has been articulated by His Excellency the President on down to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I am a servant of Kenya's foreign policy... My vision is to make this the most impactful of a permanent rep here in New York," stated the Ambassador.
Prior to joining the top echelons of the global security management, Kimani had played a pivotal role in securing the country from terror extremists.
He served as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism and Director of his country’s National Counter Terrorism Centre beginning in September 2015.
He had also served the country as Secretary for Strategic Initiatives in the Executive Office of the President from December 2018.
Internally, Kimani had also served as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Joint Secretary and beat a number of nominees among them three former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners.
During his vetting in Parliament, he revealed he was worth Ksh58 million.
Amb Kimani had listed President Uhuru Kenyatta as a referee in his CV, raising eyebrows from MPs who claimed he wanted to intimidate them.
“Why did you choose to list President Uhuru as your reference or are you trying to intimidate us?" Posed Mandera North MP Abdullah Bashir.
“I thought they (referees) are people who know my character and in particular to this assignment. I commit to providing another name,” Kimani responded.
In the past 20 years, he has worked at senior levels in the global currency and bond markets, political risk advisory for underwriters and other corporates, and peace and security in the Horn of Africa and East Africa.
