What did the Kenyan President discuss at the UNGA 2026? Share highlights and keypoints.

Here are the highlights and key points from William Ruto, President of Kenya, at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly General Debate, New York, September 2026.

The main speech is today

According to the UN schedule, Ruto will speak in the General Debate on Wednesday afternoon, New York time, which is Wednesday night East Africa Time. The full address has not landed yet, but his agenda is clear from days of activity on the ground in New York.

What he is pushing for

Africa's seat at the global table. At the 81st session, Ruto has led the Kenyan delegation in championing increased investment in Africa, artificial intelligence development, and reforms to the global financial system. On the sidelines, speaking at the Kenya-EU Partnership for Multilateralism Summit, Ruto asserted that Africa has sufficient domestic savings but that the continent's capital reserves are not being effectively utilized for development, and called for global mutual collaboration, pushing back on the question of whether African countries are facing East or West.

UN Security Council reform. At the sideline summit, Ruto repeated his long-standing demand that Africa cannot remain without a permanent seat in the body entrusted with international peace and security. The Security Council is the 15-member UN body that bears primary responsibility for global peace, and five of its seats are permanent with veto power, currently held by the US, UK, France, Russia and China. Africa holds none of them. That position fits into the wider "Africa-financing-Africa" agenda Kenya is pushing at UNGA.

AI governance. Speaking at a high-level event on the margins of UNGA 81, Ruto said AI governance "must be globally shaped, not globally imposed," and that those affected by the technology must have a meaningful hand in shaping the rules that govern it. He told world leaders that Kenya's AI strategy is built around three pillars: digital infrastructure, data and AI governance, and research, innovation and commercialization. AI governance refers to the rules, standards and institutions that determine how artificial intelligence is built, deployed and regulated across countries.

The East Africa Refinery and critical minerals. Ruto met Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote and Africa Finance Corporation CEO Samaila Zubairu to discuss financing and preparations for the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu, a project estimated at around $17 billion with a reported capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with groundbreaking scheduled for September 30. Kenya wants international partners and capital, but is also seeking a greater share of the economic value generated by investment in African resources and markets.

Bilateral talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On the sidelines, Ruto held bilateral talks with Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, where the two discussed opportunities to expand Kenya-US cooperation in trade, technology, critical minerals, energy and regional security. They discussed efforts to sustain the security mission in Somalia and support for stability in Haiti, where Kenya has been involved in an international security effort. Sudan was also on the table, with discussions centering on the worsening humanitarian crisis there and efforts to secure a ceasefire and political settlement.