African Leaders Snub Ruto’s UNGA Side Event

Kenyan President William Ruto’s UNGA side event flopped after zero African leaders attended (image source)

Kenyan President William Ruto’s high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 24 September drew zero attendance from fellow African heads of state or their envoys, underscoring waning solidarity within the African bloc. Invoking reforms to the UN Security Council and regional development, Ruto now faces questions over diplomatic isolation on the world stage.

Ruto had convened leaders to discuss Africa’s representation at the UN and global security challenges, pressing for two permanent seats with veto power. Yet despite formal invitations sent via the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no African delegates appeared at the reserved conference room—leaving Ruto to address empty chairs for over 30 minutes before cancelling the session.

“You cannot claim to be the United Nations while disregarding the voice of 54 nations,” Ruto declared in his UNGA speech, demanding permanent Security Council seats for Africa.

Inside sources at State House Nairobi say Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Egypt cited “prior commitments” to bilateral meetings and travel constraints, though none formally declined. One senior diplomat told the said that behind the no-shows lay disagreements over Kenya’s leadership bid and fatigue with another “Kenya-led initiative” for UN reform. According to Global Issues, African nations contribute nearly 30 percent of UN peacekeepers but lack permanent Security Council representation—an “unfair and grossly unjust” arrangement Ruto decried on the UNGA floor. He warned that continued exclusion risks alienating African states from the UN’s core decision-making and undermining collective bargaining power on climate finance, debt relief and counterterrorism.

Political analysts view the snub as a blow to Ruto’s Pan-African credibility. Dr Grace Mwangi, an international relations lecturer at the University of Nairobi, says, “Ruto’s empty hall is a stark message: reform efforts must be consultative and reflect shared priorities, not unilateral pursuits.”

Since taking office in September 2022, President Ruto has championed the “Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” seeking infrastructure investment and governance reforms. At UNGA 80, he also underscored Kenya’s role in Haiti’s security mission and condemned civilian suffering in Gaza. Yet domestic tensions—over election debts and policy disputes—have strained relations with key regional capitals.

Last year, the African Union endorsed a roadmap for Security Council reform but stalled over competing candidacies and veto controversies. Ruto’s decision to parallel that AU framework with a self-titled “African Leaders Forum” appears to have backfired, fracturing unity rather than forging consensus.