Wednesday 22nd April, 2026 11:04 AM|
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President William Ruto has raised concerns over the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations (UN), arguing that the global body is struggling to contain rising geopolitical tensions marked by escalating conflicts involving major world powers.
Speaking at LUISS University in Italy on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Ruto criticised what he described as the weakening of the UN-led international peace and security system, warning that the current global order is increasingly being shaped by power rather than rules.
His remarks come against the backdrop of heightened global instability, including the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, a conflict characterised by sustained airstrikes and naval blockades that have disrupted global energy supplies and contributed to a worsening fuel crisis, particularly around strategic shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.
Ruto said the situation exposes deep flaws in the international system, questioning the credibility of the UN Security Council, where permanent members are themselves frequently accused of contributing to instability.
“What clearer evidence of dysfunction can there be than a system in which those entrusted to underwrite global peace and prevent aggression are themselves accused,” he said.
“What clearer signal do we require than a world that appears to be drifting towards an order defined not by rules but by might?”
He argued that the UN framework, which has for decades been relied upon to prevent conflict and coordinate global responses to crises, is now under severe strain as major powers increasingly act in ways that undermine collective security mechanisms.
Ruto further linked these challenges to the growing urgency of reforming global governance structures, particularly the UN Security Council, insisting that Africa has long pushed for more equitable representation in international decision-making.
“It is for this reason that Kenya and the rest of Africa are right in calling for urgent reforms of the UN, more particularly the UN Security Council,” he said.
The president’s remarks also come as UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate de-escalation of the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, warning that the crisis is driving widespread human suffering and threatening broader regional stability.
In a statement on April 2, 2026, Guterres said the global consequences of the war, pointing to disruptions in energy flows linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
“When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe,” he warned.
These come days after he said that the African Union (AU) is not fit for purpose, calling for urgent overhaul, stating that the continental body in its current form is not fit for purpose and requires urgent structural reform to lead Africa into the future.
Speaking at the Mashariki Cooperation Conference in Diani, Kwale County, on Friday, April 10, 2026, Ruto revealed that fellow African heads of state had tasked him with spearheading efforts to reform the AU’s institutions and organs.
Ruto said the existing framework is incapable of providing the leadership necessary to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the coming decades.
“My colleagues, heads of state, gave me the assignment to work on the reform of the African Union institutions and organs to make them fit for purpose for a time such as this,” Ruto said.
“I can tell you without an iota of doubt that the African Union, as it is today, is not fit to provide the leadership that this continent needs going into the future.”
He warned that without a more effective and responsive continental body, this demographic advantage could turn into a liability.
“There is a need for reform of the African Union,” Ruto, urging intelligence chiefs to play a central role in shaping a new framework.
“I am asking you as intelligence leaders to assist us in figuring out what kind of African Union we need, one that can unlock the potential that exists in our continent.”
He noted that as the continent prepares to become the world’s single largest market and home to one-quarter of the global population, the AU must be restructured to leverage this position.
