Kenyan diplomat Martin Kimani has been appointed United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO).
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment on September 14, 2026, with Kimani succeeding Ghanaian diplomat Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee. Guterres thanked Pobee for her service in the position.
Kimani brings about 25 years of experience in international relations, peace and security and multilateral diplomacy. His career has included positions in government, regional organisations, the UN system, civil society and the private sector.
He served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2020 to 2024. During Kenya’s term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2021 and 2022, Kimani served as president of the council in October 2021. He also chaired its Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa and co-chaired the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security in 2022.
In 2023, Kimani served as president of the executive boards of the UN Development Programme, the UN Population Fund and the UN Office for Project Services.
Before becoming Kenya’s UN ambassador, Kimani served as director of Kenya’s National Counter Terrorism Centre and as the President’s Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism between 2015 and 2020.
He previously represented Kenya at the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat from 2012 to 2015 and served as director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism between 2011 and 2012.
Kimani has also worked outside government and diplomacy, including as president and chief executive officer of The Africa Center, executive director of the Center on International Cooperation at New York University and deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center.
In his new position, Kimani will be involved in the UN’s political and peace operations work across Africa, including conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding and support for political processes.
The DPPA is responsible for helping prevent and resolve violent conflicts, while the Department of Peace Operations oversees UN peacekeeping operations and related peace and security activities.
Kimani holds a PhD and a master’s degree in War Studies from King’s College London and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of New Hampshire. He is fluent in English and Kiswahili.
His appointment comes as the UN continues to work with the African Union and regional organisations on conflicts and political crises across the continent.
