The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kenya
United Nations Security Council
2021-2022
STATEMENT BY AMB MARTIN KIMANI DURING THE SECURITY COUNCIL URGENT
MEETING ON THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE
21 FEBRUARY 2022 at 2100 EASTERN US
Thank you Mr President
I thank Under-Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing
1
We meet tonight on the brink of a major conflict in Ukraine The diplomacy we urged on the 17th of
February is failing
2
The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine stands breached The Charter of the United Nations
continues to wilt under the relentless assault of the powerful
3
In one moment it is invoked with reverence by the very same countries who then turn their backs on it
in pursuit of objectives diametrically opposed to international peace and security
4
In the two last meetings on the situation in Ukraine and the buildup of forces by the Russian
Federation Kenya urged that diplomacy be given a chance
5
Our cry was not heeded and more importantly the Charters demand for states to “settle their
international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and
justice are not endangered has been profoundly6
Today the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine
has been effected
7
Kenya is gravely concerned by the announcement made by the Russian Federation to recognise
Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as independent states
8
In our considered view this action and announcement breaches the territorial integrity of Ukraine
9
We do not deny that there may be serious security concerns in these regions But they cannot justify
todays recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states Not when there were multiple
diplomatic tracksMr President
10 Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire Our borders were not
of our own drawing They were drawn in the distant colonial metropoles of London Paris and Lisbon
with no regard for the ancient nations that they cleaved apart
11 Today across the border of every single African country live our countrymen with whom we share
deep historical cultural and linguistic bonds
12 At independence had we chosen to pursue states on the basis of ethnic racial or religious
homogeneity we would still be waging bloody wars these many decades later
13 Instead we agreed that we would settle for the borders that we inherited But we would still pursue
continental political economic and legal integration Rather than form nations that looked ever
backward into history with a dangerous nostalgia we chose to look forward to a greatness none of our
many nations and peoples had ever known14
We chose to follow the rules of the OAU and the United Nations Charter not because our borders
satisfied us but because we wanted something greater forged in peace
15 We believe that all states formed from empires that have collapsed or retreated have many peoples in
them yearning for integration with peoples in neighbouring states This is normal and understandable
After all who does not want to be joined to their brethren and to make common purpose with them
16 However Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force We must complete our recovery
from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of domination
and oppression
17 We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis including racial ethnic religious or cultural
factors We reject it again today
18 Kenya registers its strong concern and opposition to the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as
independent states
19
We further strongly condemn the trend in the last few decades of powerful states including
members of this Security Council breaching International Law with little regard
20
Multilateralism lies on its deathbed tonight It has been assaulted as it has been by other powerful
states in the recent past
21
We call on all member states to stand behind the Secretary General in asking him to rally us to the
standard defending multilateralism We also call on him to bring his good offices to bear to help the
concerned parties resolve situation22
Let me conclude by reaffirming Kenyas respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its
internationally recognised borders
I thank you
Kenya was born independently of imperialism, and it was not ourselves that drew Kenya’s borders, but Lisbon, Paris, London, far away.
All African countries have compatriots who share historical and cultural languages across borders, and if we pursued ethnic or racial and religious homogeneity, bloody wars would have continued to this day.
However, we recognize the current borders we inherited and seek integration across the continent beyond them. Instead of looking back on the old history with dangerous nostalgia of the past, we chose to look forward toward greatness that no one knew.
We decided to follow the African Organization of Unity and the Charter of the United Nations because we pursued something great that would be born out of peace, not because we were satisfied with our current borders.
Any new countries born from the collapse of imperialism long for integration with their neighboring compatriots, but we oppose the pursuit of such longing by force. We must complete the reconstruction from the remnants of the dead empire and not drop ourselves into another domination and oppression.
A famous speech by Russia that steals Ukrainian territory because of the high proportion of Russian residents.