Kenya honours former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon with Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart award

Kenya has bestowed the former United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon with the country’s highest civilian honours.

President William Ruto has conferred Ban Ki-Moon with a First Class: Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart (C.G.H.) during a brief ceremony held at the Kenyan State House in Nairobi.

“In his more than 50-year public career, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made a huge impact on global affairs and humanity,” stated President Ruto.

According to the Kenyan leader, during Ban Ki-moon’s tenure at the United Nations managed to successfully mobilise the world in confronting a number of global challenges ranging from the climate crisis and global health to gender inequality.

“We therefore celebrate His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, an extraordinary leader who built bridges, reformed the United Nations, he also gave voice to the voiceless and fostered progress towards shared goals,” President Ruto maintained.

At one time during his helm at the UN, Ban Ki-moon had picked Asha-Rose Migiro from Tanzania to be his deputy.

However a number of Kenyans questioned the decision of him awarding a distinguished honor to the former UN official and South Korean diplomat, asking what good does that expression do to the East African country.

At age 18 Ban won a competition that took him to the White House to meet President John F. Kennedy, something which inspired his public career.

After entering South Korea’s Foreign Service in 1970, Ban Ki-moon served in various positions including as counsellor to the embassy in Washington, director of American affairs at the Foreign Ministry, deputy foreign minister and national security adviser to the president.

Ban returned to Seoul as vice-minister of foreign affairs (2000–01). In 2003 he became foreign policy adviser to the new president, Roh Moo Hyun. As minister of foreign affairs and trade from 2004 to 2006, Ban played a key role in the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.

On October 13, 2006, just days after North Korea tested a nuclear weapon; Ban was named UN secretary-general-elect.