NAIROBI, Monday, August 18 – The Democratic Citizen Party (DCP) has petitioned the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to deny President William Ruto an opportunity to speak at its 80th session, accusing him of presiding over widespread human rights violations in Kenya.
Speaking in Nairobi, DCP Deputy Party leader Cleophas Malala argued that granting President Ruto the platform would “legitimize dictatorship and tyranny” while betraying “the young, the women, and the people of Kenya, whose only crime was demanding their rights, justice, and accountability.”
“We call upon the UN General Assembly to review his eligibility to speak on peace and human rights matters,” Malala said.
Malala questioned Ruto’s moral authority to address the high-level session, which will run from September 9 in New York under the theme “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.”
“Mr. Ruto, what will you address the UNGA about this year, considering this year’s theme and UN principles? Is it about extrajudicial killings, abductions, forced disappearances, rapid support of forces of Sudan, corruption, illegal gold trade, or illegal detentions?” Malala posed.
The opposition party further accused the Ruto administration of orchestrating the brutal suppression of peaceful protests, harassment of journalists, and disregard for fundamental freedoms.
“The President of Kenya has consistently violated the very principles upon which the UN was founded,” Malala charged.
DCP escalated its appeal by urging the United States and the wider international community to take punitive action, including designating Ruto persona non grata and boycotting his international engagements.
“We strongly call on the United States of America, as the host country, to consider declaring him persona non grata in line with international practices on leaders who trample human rights,” Malala added.
The petition comes just weeks before President Ruto is scheduled to travel to New York for the annual global forum.
At last year’s UNGA, the Kenyan leader called for radical reforms in international financial systems, arguing that the current multilateral framework is “dysfunctional and increasingly ineffective” in meeting the needs of developing nations. He pushed for a realignment of global financing structures to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The current multilateral system is struggling to address these immense, complex, and dynamic challenges effectively,” Ruto said in his 2024 address.
The DCP’s petition now sets the stage for a politically charged reception as the President prepares for his second consecutive speech at the world’s most prominent diplomatic gathering.
Leave a Reply