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A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Amina Mohamed, said the UN Deputy Secretary-General has full confidence in the leadership of President William Ruto, Stéphane Dujarric.
Dujarric confirms that the leaked dialogue does not in any way represent the thoughts and ideas of the deputy minister.
“The Deputy Secretary-General has full confidence and respect for President William Ruto’s leadership,” he said in a statement via the United Nations Information Center in Nairobi.
The classified information reportedly came from the US military, who were said to have learned details of a conversation between the two UN chiefs.
According to a BBC investigation into the files, Antonio Guterres and his deputy had open discussions in which Mohammed referred to Ruto as “tough” and told her employer she “doesn’t trust him.”
The sources of the documents, which not only provide intelligence on the ongoing battle in Ukraine but also show US spying techniques, are currently under investigation by the US Department of Justice.
“There has been an appalling distortion of comments attributed to the Deputy Secretary-General that have been taken out of context in relation to Kenya, which in no way reflect her views or opinion,” says Dujarric.
He revealed at the same time that the official will visit Kenya later this month stressing that this has nothing to do with the leaked documents as it was a planned trip.
“I think it is also important to note that she will be going to Nairobi later this month on a trip that has already been rescheduled. She is looking forward to seeing President Ruto, as well as the UN leadership,” she said.
“Over the decades, Kenya has been and continues to be a reliable partner and an extremely generous host to United Nations institutions.”
Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, told Reuters on Friday that he had spoken to Guterres and Mohamed “to seek clarification about the import of the troubling feelings they have” and to express Kenya’s opposition to the secretary-general’s surveillance.
Kimani said the surveillance contravened the founding Charter of the United Nations and other international laws and accepted practices.
