24/09/2026
📸 President Ruto and FL Rachel Ruto attended the WNBA match between NY Liberty and Atlanta Dream in Brooklyn to enjoy the game while supporting Kenyan-born star Madina Okot.
Earlier in New York, President William Ruto used his address to the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly to make a familiar but increasingly urgent case: Africa deserves a stronger voice in the institutions that shape the global order.
He called for reform of the UN Security Council to give Africa equitable and permanent representation, including the same rights and privileges enjoyed by other permanent members.
The President acknowledged the United Nations’ contribution to advancing peace, self-determination and human progress, but said the organisation must also confront the realities that continue to undermine those ideals. Conflicts persist, international law is not always applied consistently, and inequalities remain entrenched in institutions founded on the principle of sovereign equality.
He also turned to the global financial system, where many developing countries continue to face high borrowing costs and heavy debt burdens.
“The international financial architecture must also be reformed,” he said, arguing that development should not be most expensive for countries that need investment the most. When debt payments consume resources that could otherwise support classrooms, healthcare and jobs, he said, the cost is ultimately borne by ordinary people.
Developing countries, he added, need better access to affordable, long-term financing, guarantees and risk-sharing mechanisms to support development.
But Ruto also acknowledged that reform must come with responsibility at home. Governments, he said, must manage public debt prudently, strengthen institutions, develop domestic capital markets, honour contracts and confront corruption firmly.
