The United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres is set to visit Kenya on Monday, May 11.
The visit comes at a time when the UN is making one of its ‘largest-ever’ infrastructure investments in Africa since its inception besides peacekeeping.
Guterres’ intray during his visit to Kenya is full, but on top of it is the nearly USD 340 million (KSh43.793 billion) expansion of UN’s Nairobi headquarters, a move aimed at “bringing the United Nations closer to the people it serves”.
After arriving in Kenya, Guterres will join President William Ruto at the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) for the groundbreaking of a new, major conference facility and inauguration of modern office buildings, significantly expanding the UN’s operational footprint in Africa.
This new investments will position Nairobi as one of the UN’s most significant global hubs.
UN’s ageing offices
Built in 1985, the current UN conference facilities in Nairobi are no longer fit for purpose. The UN says that with a capacity limited to 2,000 participants, the existing infrastructure struggles to accommodate the increasing demand for global UN meetings, including the UN Environment Assembly and the UN-Habitat Assembly.
The new project, dubbed the Conference Facilities Project (CPF), is a once-in-a-generation modernisation effort designed to expand UNON’s conference capacity to 9,000 participants, introduce modern conferencing technology, and ensure energy efficiency, universal accessibility, and quality of services.
“The Nairobi expansion reflects a broader shift: bringing multilateral decision-making closer to the regions most affected by global challenges. It includes new modern, permanent, and climate-resilient office blocks (US$ 66.2 million) and new upgraded conferencing facilities (US$ 265.7 million) that will increase the number of meeting rooms from 14 to 30, and seating capacity from 2,000 to 9,000 delegates. This includes a 1,600-seat Assembly Hall, positioning UNON as the third largest UN global hub after New York and Geneva, the fourth being Vienna. In addition, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has invested (US$ 11.2 million) in new office blocks at UNON,” the UN says.
More than 4,000 personnel and 88 UN offices are currently based at the Gigiri complex. Overall, there are almost 6,000 UN personnel in Kenya and approximately 10,000 dependents from Kenya and neighboring countries.
Kenya’s key role in UN’s growing footprint
“This is a defining moment for the United Nations in Africa. This investment aligns our presence with where global challenges — and solutions — are increasingly concentrated. Nairobi is not only a host city; it is a strategic centre for delivering the United Nations’ work in the 21st century,” UN Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Mrs Zainab Hawa Bangura, says.
The UN says that during his visit, Guterres will also engage in high-level discussions with Kenya’s leadership and participate in regional dialogues, including the Africa Forward Summit.
