{{Short description|Kenyan government official and diplomat}} {{Use British English|date=August 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Mbūgua Martin Kìmani | alma_mater = University of New Hampshire (BA)<br>King's College London (MA, PhD) | known_for = 2022 speech about Russia's actions in Ukraine | office = Kenyan Permanent Representative to the United Nations | term_start = December 2020 | appointer = Uhuru Kenyatta | birth_name = Martin Kimani Mbugua | image = Freedom of religion or belief (30134586570).jpg | caption = Kimani at a DFID event 19 October 2016 on freedom of religion and prevention of violent extremism | birth_date = 1971 | birth_place = Mombasa, Kenya | successor = Erastus Ekitela Lokaale | term_end = March 2024 }}
'''Mbūgua Martin Kìmani'''<ref name= "Gazette2016"/> (born 1971) is a Kenyan government official and diplomat.<ref name="kenyans.co.ke">{{Cite web|author= Kurgat, Paul|date= 22 February 2022|title=Martin Kimani: Profile of Kenyan Envoy Who Boldly Told Off Putin|url=https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/73294-martin-kimani-profile-kenyan-envoy-who-boldly-told-putin|access-date=22 February 2022|website=Kenyans.co.ke|language=EN }}</ref> He previously served as Kenya's Permanent Representative to the United Nations since December 2020.<ref name="UN"/> He previously served as the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Centre and as a Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya.<ref name="kenyans.co.ke"/>
== Early life == Kìmani was born in 1971 in Mombasa.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Martin Kimani – Sommerakademie at Zentrum Paul Klee|url=http://www.sommerakademie.zpk.org/en/former-academies/2008/speakers/martin-kimani.html|access-date=2022-02-23|website=www.sommerakademie.zpk.org}}</ref>
Kìmani has a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire (1996).<ref name="UN" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=22 February 2022|title=Martin Kimani: Profile of the Kenyan envoy who boldly denounced Putin|url=https://www.thebharatexpressnews.com/martin-kimani-profile-of-the-kenyan-envoy-who-boldly-denounced-putin/|access-date=23 February 2022|work=The Bharat Express News|language=en-US}}</ref> He has a master's degree (2003) and a PhD (2013) in War Studies from King's College London, University of London.<ref name="UN">{{Cite press release|title=New Permanent Representative of Kenya Presents Credentials|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/bio5352.doc.htm|date = 3 December 2020|access-date=22 February 2022|website=United Nations}}</ref><ref name="ICT">{{Cite web|title=Kimani, Martin (Amb. Dr.)|url=https://www.ict.org.il/Worker.aspx?ID=731#gsc.tab=0|access-date=22 February 2022|website=International Institute for Counter-Terrorism}}</ref><ref name="Aspen">{{Cite web|title=Martin Kimani|url=https://agln.aspeninstitute.org/profile/2477|access-date=22 February 2022|website=Aspen Institute}}</ref>
He wrote his master's thesis on oil marketing in Kenya.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kimani Kamenju|first=Martin|date=November 2015|access-date = 23 February 2022|title=Effects of Response Strategies on Competitiveness of Oil Marketing Companies in Kenya|url=http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/94589/Kamenju_Effects%20Of%20Response%20Strategies%20On%20Competitiveness%20Of%20Oil%20Marketing%20Companies%20In%20Kenya.pdf?sequence=3}}</ref> His PhD thesis was about the role of Christian symbolism, the Catholic Church, and racialism in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Scheipers|first1=Sibylle|title=The Changing Character of War|last2=Strachan|first2=Hew|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=9780199596737|pages=131}}</ref>
== Career ==
=== Previous roles === Kìmani has worked in Nairobi, Addis Ababa, and New York City<ref name=":0" /> and has been employed by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.<ref name=":1" />
He was an Associate Fellow at the Conflict, Security & Development Group at King's College London.<ref name=":0" />
From April 2011 to December 2012, Kìmani was the Director of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism in Ethiopia.<ref name=":1" />
Kìmani was Kenya's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, serving from December 2020<ref name="UN" /> to May 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kenya's Outgoing UN Ambassador Hailed as He Leaves Office |url=https://kenyanforeignpolicy.com/kenyas-outgoing-un-ambassador-hailed-as-he-leaves-office/ |last=Gathoga |first=Njambi |website=Kenyan Foreign Policy |date=13 May 2024 |access-date=22 February 2025}}</ref> He was president of the United Nations Security Council for October 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Martin Kimani (Kenya, SC President) on Security Council Agenda, MINURSO – Security Council Media Stakeout|url=https://media.un.org/asset/k1g/k1gm0d04dd|date=13 October 2021|access-date=22 February 2022|website=United Nations Media|language=en|archive-date=22 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222173523/https://media.un.org/asset/k1g/k1gm0d04dd|url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== Current roles === Kìmani was appointed president and CEO of The Africa Center in New York City in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ambassador Martin Kimani talks about new role as Africa Center CEO |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/in-focus-shows/2025/02/08/ambassador-martin-kimani-talks-about-new-role-as-africa-center-ceo |last1=Wills |first1=Cheryl |last2=Perez |first2=Dana |website=Spectrum News NY1 |publisher=Charter Communications |date=9 February 2025 |access-date=22 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Team |url=https://theafricacenter.org/our-team |website=The Africa Center |date=2025 |access-date=22 February 2025}}</ref>
Kìmani is the Kenyan Presidential Special Envoy for Countering Violent Extremism, and was appointed as the Director of Kenya's National Counter Terrorism Centre<ref name="ICT" /><ref name="Aspen" /> in 2015.<ref name=":1" />
He became the secretary for the Building Bridges Initiative in December 2018.<ref name=":1" />
==== 22 February 2022 speech ==== Kìmani delivered a speech to the UN Security Council on 22 February 2022, in which he criticised Russia's recognition of separatist-held areas of Ukraine, and drew comparisons between the borders of Europe and those of Africa,<ref name="GPS Kenya">{{cite news |title=Kenya's clarion call on Ukraine |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2022/02/27/exp-gps-0227-kenyas-kimani-on-ukraine.cnn |access-date=27 February 2022 |work=Fareed Zakaria GPS |publisher=CNN |date=27 February 2022}}</ref> saying:<blockquote>"This situation echoes our history. Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing (...). Today, across the border of every single African country, live our countrymen with whom we share deep (...) bonds. At independence, had we chosen to pursue states at the basis of ethnic, racial or religious homogeneity, we would still be waging bloody wars these many decades later. Instead, we agreed that we would settle on the borders that we inherited (...), rather than form nations that looked ever backward into history with a dangerous nostalgia, we chose to look forward (...). We believe that all states formed from empires that have collapsed or retreated, have many peoples in them yearning for integration with peoples in neighbouring states. This is normal and understandable. (...) However, Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued ''by force'' (...). We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis (...), we reject it again today."<ref>{{Cite news |last=UN Web TV |date=22 February 2022 |title= Kenya's envoy to UN cites colonial past as he condemns Russian move into Ukraine – video |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/feb/22/kenyas-enoy-to-un-cites-colonial-past-as-he-condemns-russian-move-into-ukraine-video |access-date=22 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="France 24">{{Cite news |title=US, allies lambast Russia over Ukraine at UN Security Council |work=France 24 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220222-us-allies-lambast-russia-over-ukraine-at-un-security-council |access-date=22 February 2022|date = 22 February 2022}}</ref></blockquote>The speech went viral on social media.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Lutta |first=Geoffrey |date=22 February 2022 |title=Kenya's Powerful Speech on Ukraine-Russia Crisis at UN Event Goes Viral [VIDEO] |url=https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/73274-kenyan-ambassador-makes-powerful-speech-ukraine-russia-crisis-global-event-video |access-date=22 February 2022 |website=Kenyans |language=EN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chappell |first=Bill |date=2022-02-22 |title=Kenyan U.N. ambassador compares Ukraine's plight to colonial legacy in Africa |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/22/1082334172/kenya-security-council-russia |access-date=2022-04-03}}</ref>
== Writing == Kìmani's writing has been published in ''Chimurenga'', ''Farafina'', ''Granta'', ''Juxtapoz'', ''Kwani'', ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'', and ''The East African,''<ref name=":0" /> and ''The Guardian''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Martin Kimani |url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/martin-kimani|access-date=23 February 2022|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
His book ''The Work of War'' was published by Granta Books online.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Two buys for Allfrey at Granta|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/news/two-buys-allfrey-granta|access-date=23 February 2022|website=The Bookseller|language=En}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=14 January 2010|title=The Work of War|url=https://granta.com/the-work-of-war/|access-date=23 February 2022|website=Granta|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Awards and fellowships == Kìmani was awarded the honour of Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear by the President of Kenya in 2016.<ref name= "Gazette2016">{{Cite journal |date=12 December 2016 |url=http://kenyalaw.org/kenya_gazette/gazette/download/Vol._CXVIII-_No_._154_.pdf |title= Gazette Notice No. 10265: Award of Orders, Decorations and Medals, Jamhuri Day, 12th December, 2016|journal = Kenya Gazette|number= 154|volume= CXVIII|page = 4850|access-date=23 February 2022 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223123859/https://kenyalaw.org/kenya_gazette/gazette/download/Vol._CXVIII-_No_._154_.pdf |archivedate=23 February 2022}}</ref>
Kìmani is a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and of the Africa Leadership Initiative.<ref name=":0" />
In 2013, Kìmani was a Distinguished African Visiting Fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs.<ref name=":1" />
== Family life == Kìmani and his wife June Arunga Kimani have two children.<ref name="Aspen"/>
== See also ==
* Presidency of the United Nations Security Council * Prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/martin-kimani Kimani's articles in ''The Guardian''] * {{C-SPAN|131335}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimani, Martin}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of King's College London Category:21st-century Kenyan writers Category:Kenyan male writers Category:Kenyan non-fiction writers Category:People from Mombasa Category:Permanent representatives of Kenya to the United Nations Category:University of New Hampshire alumni