Kenya wins African candidacy for UN Security Council

ANKARA (AA) – The African Union on Wednesday nominated Kenya to be Africa’s candidate for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for 2021-2022, local media reported.

In a secret vote at union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, Nairobi won some 37 votes, defeating Djibouti, which got only 13, in a vote attended by 51 out of 55 AU member states, Kenya’s Daily Nation reported.

Kenya's Foreign Ministry also announced the victory after a second round of voting by the union’s Permanent Representatives Committee, Kenya’s Capital FM said.

In the first round of voting on Aug. 5, Kenya was unable to get the two-thirds majority needed.

Kenya is the sole African nominee for the Security Council’s non-permanent seat for 2021-2022. It will need to also win two-thirds of UN member states’ votes next June to get the seat, according to the Daily Nation.