According to a senior Kenyan official who made the statement on Friday, the United Nations deputy secretary-general is said to have commented about President William Ruto in a leaked confidential U.S. document.

In February, Amina Mohammed reportedly informed Antonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary-General, that Ruto was "ruthless" and that she "doesn't trust him." Amina Mohammed allegedly said this, according to the BBC this week—an important hub for U.N. operations in Nairobi.

PHOTO | COURTESY  Antonio Guterres


Korir Sing'oei, a senior Kenyan official in charge of international affairs, described Mohammed's alleged remarks as "disturbing" when they were pressed on Friday. He added that Kenya "abhors the surveillance of the leadership of the United Nations."

Sing'oei stated that Ruto would continue his international initiatives to combat climate change, reform international financial institutions, and provide leadership on regional peace and security challenges.

Therefore, he said, "president ruto will not be distracted by the information in tainted leaked memoranda."

In the words of U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Mohammed's comments have been "taken out of context" and have undergone a "horrendous distortion."

She has the highest admiration for President Ruto, according to Dujarric, and he also mentioned that Mohammed would be travelling to kenya later this month on a pre-arranged trip, during which she will meet ruto

Martin Kimani, Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations, talked with Guterres and Mohammed "to seek clarity on the import of their concerning reported sentiments" and to express Kenya's disagreement with the secretary-general's surveillance.

Kimani claimed that the spying broke several other international laws, the U.N. Charter, and accepted wisdom.