Kenyan President calls for UN reforms, permanent African seats

UNITED NATIONS, New York (Eye Radio) — Kenyan President William Ruto has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the United Nations, arguing that Africa’s exclusion from a permanent seat on the Security Council is a “profound injustice.”

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Ruto stated that the continent’s lack of a voice on the Security Council undermines the UN’s credibility.

He emphasized that Africa “bears the heaviest cost of instability” and provides some of the largest peacekeeping contingents, yet it remains the only continent without a permanent seat at the main table.

Ruto demanded reforms that would grant Africa at least two permanent seats with full rights—including the power to veto—and two additional non-permanent seats.

“You cannot claim to be the United Nations while disregarding the voice of 54 nations. It is not possible,” he declared.

The President stressed that if the UN is to remain relevant, it must reflect today’s global realities, not the “postwar power arrangements of 1945.”

He concluded by emphasizing that developing countries will no longer be “passive observers” in debates about global power and fairness.