• Uhuru made the appeal when he addressed the General Debate of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
• Last week, Kenya’s bid for the UN Security Council seat got a boost after incoming envoys promised to support it.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has appealed to United Nations member States to support Kenya's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council during the elections slated for June next year.
Uhuru, who thanked the African Union for endorsing Kenya’s candidature for the seat, said the country's bid is motivated by a 'pursuit for solutions to global challenges.
Uhuru made the appeal when he addressed the General Debate of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He said Kenya deserves a seat on the Security Council because of its leading role in regional peace and stability in Eastern Africa as well as the Horn Africa.
"When the world had given up on our region, we opened our doors to millions of people fleeing insecurity. To this day, we host hundreds of thousands of refugees," he said.
"When the world had turned away from Somalia, we engaged and invested in the Eldoret and Mbagathi peace processes that led to the formation and hosting of the Transitional National Government in Kenya, and formation of Transitional Federal Government in Somalia."
Uhuru said Kenya had contributed to more than 40,000 peacekeepers and engaged in post conflict reconstruction and development efforts across the world.
"We, therefore, hope that our experience, competencies and unrelenting search for peace and prosperity in our neighbourhood, on the continent and the wider world, will persuade the entire UN Membership to support the African Union candidate, for the non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council during the elections slated for June 2020," he said.
"I request for the vote of each and every member of the United Nations family," Uhuru appealed to fellow Heads of State.
Last week, Kenya’s bid for the UN Security Council seat got a boost after incoming envoys promised to support it.
The envoys made the pledge at State House, Nairobi, when President Uhuru Kenyatta received credentials from 11 new envoys.
Among the new envoys is the United Kingdom High Commissioner Jane Marriott and the new European Union Delegation Ambassador to Kenya, Simon Mordue.