In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

UN GATE, Oct 12 –   With Kenya taking over presidency of the UN Security Council on October 1, on September 29 Inner City Press wrote to the Kenyan Mission to the UN to request access to its October 1 press conference by Ambassador Martin Kimani.

 Inner City Press wrote to the Mission and to its listed spokesman, James Ndirangu Waweru.

Five day later, nothing - inconsistent, to say the least, with Kenya's duty as President of the UN Security Council. No answer either to this, yet:

"Despite your Mission's failure to answer in any way Inner City Press' formal request in late September, here for your comment on deadline is a question we have also emailed to UN spokespeople:  "On corruption and Kenya (and more), what are the comments and actions of SG Guterres on that the Kenyattas' offshore investments include a company with stocks and bonds worth $30m (£22m), a foundation where his mother and the president are listed as beneficiaries, and an offshore company that could not be traced back to the Kenyatta family, which was used to buy an apartment in central London now valued at $1.3m (£1m)"    Please explain why you did not respond, and confirm receipt, and arrange for access to your stakeouts this month as UNSC president."

No answer yet, 11 days into the Presidency. On October 12 Kenyatta was questioned" by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein at IPI. The day before, Inner City Press online asked: Will  @KenyataOfficial  be asked about the revelations in the #PandoraPapers, on money stashed overseas? Because Inner City Press, banned from the UN by  @AntonioGuterres  &  @MelissaFleming , has asked them &  @KenyaMissionUN  in writing, without response. cc  @raad_zeid." There was no answer, but IPI "liked" this video with the question, here.

 After Zeid Raad told a story about when he was on the UNSC for Jordan, also exposed in the Pandora Papers, he said he had two personal questions for Kenyatta. For a moment it seemed... But no. He asked, What is your legacy and what's next. #UN.

  Here's more: Kenyatta is linked to a Panama foundation, while his mother and siblings set up at least six other offshore businesses and foundations to manage their assets. Most of the family's companies were created before Kenyatta was elected president, and leaked documents show that some remained active after he took office. Those businesses, which are registered in Panama and the British Virgin Islands, hold bank accounts and real estate worth more than $30 million. Those assets are located in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Some of those at the Kenya Mission to the UN which refuses to answer: Amb. Martin Kimani, Njambi Kinyungu, Michael Kiboino, Susan Mwangi, Joseph Musyoka Masila, John Kyovi Mutua - there are more, watch this site.

At the delayed October 1 Press-less briefing, after a pitch by Raychelle Omamo, the Ambassador took only six questions, all nearly identical but still in clumps of three to allow evasions. Inner City Press live tweeted it here:

There is no commitment by the UN Secretariat to even respond to a polite law firm letter seeking access to Inner City Press, see video. See also Press Freedom Tracker and The Independent (UK)

The Kenyan Mission and Kenya have a duty to not collude in censorship, and to take questions from media. Inner City Press is permitted (in fact, invited) to put WebEx questions to the IMF briefings, see below, and is accredited at the SDNY Federal court here in New York. 

So it remains up to Kenya and the Kenyan Mission to provide access. We will be covering them closely.

For now: "Here is the UN Security Council program of "work" for October under  @KenyaMissionUN   @AmbMKimani : #WesternSahara 13th, 4th #Haiti (cholera), 18th CAR (UN rapes) - no #Cameroon or #Nigeria, Inner City Press asked why, no answer."

Watch this site. 

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA

Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2021 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com