Russian Diplomat Publicly Shames Kenya’s PS Sing’oei Over UN Haiti Vote
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Dr. Korir Sing’oei, is in the eye of the storm again after being publicly corrected by a Russian diplomat over comments he made on a recent United Nations Security Council resolution on Haiti.
The council on Monday approved the establishment of a new Gang Suppression Force (GSF) — a security mission with military capabilities — to replace the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission whose mandate ended on October 4.
After the vote, Dr. Sing’oei described the resolution as “unanimous”, a statement that was quickly disputed by Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Polyansky “respectfully corrected” Kenya’s top diplomat, pointing out that Russia, China and Pakistan abstained from the vote, so it couldn’t be called unanimous.
“We didn’t block this proposal, though we had heavy reservations,” Polyansky wrote. “We only heeded pleas from Latin American and African countries but we fear the Council is being drawn into yet another adventure.”
The resolution UNSCR 2793 (2025) paves the way for the formation of the GSF — a 5,500-strong force of police and military personnel — supported by a UN Technical Office tasked with logistics, funding and coordination. Dr. Sing’oei praised the decision saying the new mission will have a “robust mandate” focused on intelligence-led counter-gang operations designed to neutralize and deter violent groups in Haiti.
But at the UN, a resolution can only be called unanimous if all 15 members, including the 5 permanent ones — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom — vote in favour. Abstentions don’t block resolutions but they prevent them from being unanimous.
Haiti is a divisive issue in the Council. Kenya has been a key supporter of deploying security forces to the crisis hit Caribbean nation even as funding challenges persist.
Russia and China on the other hand have consistently been skeptical of such interventions and often abstain instead of vetoing.
This is not the first time Dr. Sing’oei has been at the centre of a diplomatic blunder. In February he apologised after sharing a fake CNN video purporting to show anchor Fareed Zakaria praising Kenya’s mediation efforts in Sudan. The video was later confirmed to be an AI-generated deepfake.
“I regret any confusion this may have caused and thank everyone who flagged the video,” Dr. Sing’oei said at the time, adding that he planned to enroll in an AI Diplomacy training program at the Foreign Services Academy to better navigate emerging digital challenges.
Earlier in June, the PS was under fire for posting videos of police crackdowns in other countries during Kenya’s own anti-government protests, a move many saw as an attempt to justify local police brutality. He also defended the U.S. decision to review student visa applications through applicants’ social media records.
For Dr. Sing’oei this latest correction from Moscow is a reminder how easily diplomatic statements can go awry.
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Russian Diplomat Publicly Shames Kenya’s PS Sing’oei Over UN Haiti Vote