Tanzania voted for Kenya to become Security Council member, says Prof Kabudi
What you need to know:
Speaking on Tuesday June 23, on the sidelines of the SADC meeting Prof Kabudi said Tanzania not only voted for Kenya but it also campaigned for Kenya because that was the position of the EAC and also the AU stand
Dar es Salaam. Foreign Minister Prof Palamagamba Kabudi has reiterated that Tanzania supported Kenya’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council all the way.
This comes in the wake of a certain document that has been circulating in social media platforms, claiming that Tanzania voted for Djibouti at the expense of its brotherly neighbor and key partner within the East African Community (EAC) trading bloc.
Speaking on Tuesday June 23, on the sidelines of the SADC meeting Prof Kabudi said Tanzania not only voted for Kenya but it also campaigned for Kenya because that was the position of the EAC and also the AU stand.
“As you might remember very well I was sent by the President Magufuli to Kenya as his special envoy to see President Kenyatta and one of the things that I was tasked with was to tell him that Tanzania not only supports their bid but will also participate in the campaign,” said Prof Kabudi.
He added: Tanzania did not only vote for Kenya in two rounds but we actively participated in the campaigns to make sure Kenya is elected as non permanent member of the security council and Kenya has acknowledge our support especially in the second round of voting.
The minister said whoever is saying anything contrary to that is a consummate liar, circulating baseless and reckless rumors.
“That document was fabricated first of all the voting was conducted by the UN General Assembly , but when you look at that document it says it was the Security Council which is a lie,” he said.
UN Member States chose Kenya in a second round of voting at the General Assembly, with 192 ambassadors casting their ballots during pre-determined time slots, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The run-off took place one day after elections to select five new non-permanent members to serve on the Council, based on regional groupings.
Both Kenya and Djibouti failed to secure the required two-thirds majority or 128 votes in the first round.
In the second round, Kenya received 129 votes, and Djibouti 62. Kenya’s two-year tenure begins in January 2021.
