Jump to navigation

Kenya

Careless talk about 'ruthless' Ruto

PREVIEW

The leak of a caustic aside by the deputy head of the UN triggers a diplomatic furore

Of the over 500-gigabyte cache of classified defence documents in the so-called Pentagon leaks, a conversation between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his deputy Amina J Mohammed, a former environment minister in Nigeria, in mid-February has caused consternation in Kenya (AC Vol 61 No 20, Amina misses out again).

Mohamed is reported to have told Guterres, that Kenya's President William Ruto is 'ruthless' and that she does not trust him. 

Mohamed's views on Ruto will surprise few in Kenya or abroad but the revelations are embarrassing for her and some of her UN colleagues. They may also confirm Ruto's suspicions that he lacks allies in the international system despite his intensive wooing of western governments over the past year.

Ruto's social media machine has swung into action, blaming the leaks on opposition leader Raila Odinga. Insiders have warned that Ruto will ensure that UN officials pays a steep price for the diplomatic embarrassment (AC Vol 63 No 5, Alliances come under heavy fire). 

Lost in the coverage in Kenya is that the United States and many of the most powerful UN member states conduct intense surveillance inside the UN headquarters and beyond.

Copyright © Africa Confidential 2025
https://www.africa-confidential.com

Prepared for Free Article on 09/12/2025 at 14:17. Authorized users may download, save, and print articles for their own use, but may not further disseminate these articles in their electronic form without express written permission from Africa Confidential / Asempa Limited. Contact subscriptions@africa-confidential.com.

Related Articles

Alliances come under heavy fire

Governments across Africa are reviewing ties with Moscow as the international crisis over its Ukraine invasion deepens

Africa is not directly concerned by the Russia-Ukraine war, yet the African Union and a few member states have made their views known loudly, in contrast with their...

READ FOR FREE

Smashing the fruit bowl

The people's rejection of the president's draft constitution has killed the Rainbow coalition

To make sense of his defeat in the constitutional referendum on 21 November, President Mwai Kibaki must choose between crushing his opponents or coopting them. The referendum campaign...

Succession not reform

Bold plans to address political conflict and vote-rigging have been sidelined as the battle to succeed President Kibaki heats up

The groundbreaking programme for political reform set out in the new constitution is at risk as members of parliament and party activists position themselves for the presidential succession...

The crucial M-Pesa and call logs

An anonymous blogger from the high-tech communications sector in Kenya has stepped in with highly credible-looking information on the latest court action in the International Criminal Court case...


Stories by country

Footer Map