Kenya's progressive outlook: a lesson for Russia

Just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, delivered a momentous speech that demonstrates the stark contrast between a progressive nation looking to the future and an ageing one stuck in a faded imperial past.

Here is a transcript of the most significant part of the address:

We do not deny that there may be serious security concerns in these regions but they cannot justify today's recognition of these regions as independent states; not when there are multiple diplomatic tracks available and underway that have the ability to offer peaceful solutions. 

Mr President, this situation echoes our history. 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. Today across the border of every single African country live our countrymen with whom we share deep historical, cultural, and linguistic bonds. If at independence we had chosen to pursue states on the basis of ethnic, racial, or religious homogeneity we would still be waging bloody wars these many decades later. 

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 backwards into history with a dangerous nostalgia. We chose to to look forward to a greatness none of our many nations and peoples had known. We chose to follow the rules of the Organisation of African Unity and the United Nations charter, not because our borders satisfied us but because we wanted something greater forged in peace. 

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? 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. We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis, including racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural factors. We reject it again today.

Kenya registers its strong concern and opposition to the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. 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. Multilateralism lies on its deathbed tonight. It has been assaulted today as it has been by other powerful states in the recent past. We call on all members to rally behind the Secretary-General in asking him to rally us all to the standard that defends multilateralism . . . .

This address demonstrates a political wisdom and maturity of which the world can use more. Public justice in international relations requires that we attend to hard realities, work with what we have been given, and avoid the airy dreams of nationalists stirring the dying embers of imperial grandeur.

Kimani's fellow citizen Patrick Gathara disagrees: The Kenyan UN ambassador’s Ukraine speech does not deserve praise. I will respond to Gathara's argument tomorrow.