President William Ruto has today joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the launch of a landmark expansion of the UN Nations offices in Nairobi at Gigiri.
Speaking at the launch, President Ruto described the event as a significant milestone, highlighting that the expansion of the UN Offices in Nairobi is an investment worth Sh44 billion (USD 340 million) aimed at modernising existing infrastructure and conference facilities at the Nairobi complex.
He expressed gratitude to the Secretary-General and UN member states for supporting the project and pledged complementary investments from the Government of Kenya.
The president announced several initiatives to improve Nairobi’s infrastructure and related amenities, including the construction of an additional 267 kilometres of roads, a program launched two months ago. He also said the government would enhance water availability through investments in water resources to support both the UN complex and the wider city.
In addition, the government plans to beautify and clean Nairobi while improving security and visibility through a major street-lighting program.
“40,000 lights will initially be installed across the city, followed by another 50,000 before the end of the year, bringing the total to 90,000 lights,” he said.
President Ruto emphasized the importance of the UN presence in Nairobi and thanked the UN family and member states for making the expansion project possible. He also praised Secretary-General Guterres for advocating for issues affecting the Global South, particularly reforms to the international financial system.
The president called for reforms to the global financial architecture and support for Africa-focused financial solutions, including Kenya’s new National Infrastructure Fund. He said these measures are necessary to address debt challenges and improve access to concessional financing for developing nations.
President Ruto further noted that Africa is changing its global narrative. He said the continent should no longer be viewed primarily through the lens of conflict, disease, poverty, aid, or loans, but rather as a hub for ideas, innovation, solutions, and investment opportunities.
Secretary-General António Guterres thanked President Ruto and the Kenyan government for their continued support of the United Nations and for creating an enabling environment for the organization’s operations in Africa.
Guterres said the UN wants to be part of Africa’s transformational journey and acknowledged the long-term effects of colonialism on the continent, noting that that much
of Africa’s infrastructure during the colonial era was designed to extract resources rather than connect African economies and communities.
He praised the dynamism and determination of African nations to overcome that legacy and secure equal participation in the international community. The Secretary-General also commended African governments for mobilizing domestic resources to support development.
However, Guterres criticized what he described as unfair global financial systems, pointing out that African countries often pay significantly higher borrowing costs than developed nations despite having strong economic potential.
He argued that international institutions created in 1945 lacked African representation and therefore failed to adequately reflect African interests. The UN chief reiterated his support for reforms to global governance institutions, including permanent African representation on the UN Security Council and greater African influence within institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank.
Guterres assured African nations that he would continue advocating for justice and fairness in international relations and support Africa’s ongoing transformation, describing Kenya and President Ruto as strong examples of the continent’s progress and ambition.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the new assembly hall and the inauguration of new office buildings symbolize the collective ambition and reaffirm the central role that Africa, and Kenya in particular, continue to play in the life and future of the United Nations.
The UN’s presence in Nairobi is rooted in Kenya’s longstanding support for multilateralism. The UN Gigiri Complex sits on 140 acres of land donated by the government of Kenya—the largest land contribution made by any host country to the organization.
Established in 1996, it is one of four main UN duty stations globally and the only one located in the Global South, serving as a hub for over 23 agencies.
Today’s event was marked just as Kenya is hosting a two-day Africa Forward Summit of Heads of State and Government that is being co-hosted by President Ruto and Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.
By Wangari Ndirangu
