UN to honour Kenyan soldiers who died at war amid peace calls

The two are Major Paul Njoroge, who served with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, and Alice Chege, who served in a civilian role with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UN said the two Kenyans will be among 68 military, police and civilian personnel to receive the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal posthumously during a ceremony at the UN Headquarters on June 5.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will lead the ceremony and lay a wreath in honour of nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have died in the line of duty since 1948.

The the global agency said 59 peacekeepers died last year alone.

“On this International Day, we honour peacekeepers past and present and reaffirm our shared responsibility to respect and strengthen their work,” Guterres said in a message ahead of the event.

“We pay tribute to nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948, including 59 last year. No one should die serving the cause of peace.”

He added: “Attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law, and Member States must uphold their obligations to always ensure the safety and security of UN personnel.”

Kenya has long been one of the countries contributing personnel to UN peacekeeping missions across the world.

According to the UN, 73 Kenyan peacekeepers have died while serving under the UN flag since Kenya first began contributing uniformed personnel to peacekeeping missions in the 1980s.

The UN currently ranks Kenya as the 27th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to peacekeeping operations globally.

Kenya has 440 peacekeepers, including 72 women, serving in UN operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India-Pakistan, Lebanon, Somalia and South Sudan.

Globally, more than 50,000 civilian, military and police peacekeepers are serving in 11 UN missions in conflict zones around the world. The UN says 118 countries are currently contributing personnel to the operations.

This year’s International Day of UN Peacekeepers is being marked under the theme “Invest in Peace”.

The UN says the theme comes at a time when peacekeeping missions are facing reduced resources and growing challenges as conflicts become more complex and prolonged.

The organisation said modern peacekeeping missions are also dealing with emerging threats, including misuse of digital platforms and the spread of harmful information.

“In an era of rising tensions, peacekeeping is a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope,” Guterres said. “But it requires steady political backing – and reliable financial support.”

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, said peacekeepers continue to play a key role despite shrinking resources.

“At a time of rising conflict and shrinking resources, United Nations peacekeepers continue to protect civilians, prevent violence from escalating, and keep hope alive in some of the world’s most difficult environments,” he said.

“Investing in peacekeeping means investing in stability, prevention, and the possibility of peace itself.”

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002.

May 29 was chosen because it marks the day in 1948 when the UN Security Council created the first UN peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East.

During this year’s ceremony, the UN will also present other awards to peacekeeping personnel from different countries.

The Secretary-General will award the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to Corporal Matias Reyes of Uruguay for his actions in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, during the crisis in early 2025.

The same award will also be given posthumously to Sergii Prykodko of Ukraine, who served as a private contractor in the UN Mission in South Sudan and was killed during a mission to rescue trapped soldiers last year.

Awards will also go to Major Abhilasha Barak of India, named the 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, and Stephanie Königs of Germany, who was named the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year.