President William Ruto has been mentioned in a leaked classified document, which suggests that the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and his deputy, Amina Mohammed, expressed their concerns about him during a conversation.
The leaked documents are said to be classified files from the United States military, which allegedly obtained details of a conversation between the two UN leaders.
The US Justice Department is currently looking into the origins of the cache of classified documents, which not only reveal intelligence on the ongoing war in Ukraine but also expose the US's methods of espionage.
The documents were leaked and appeared on various social media sites, prompting an urgent investigation into how they were accessed and disseminated.
According to a report by BBC, the leaked files revealed candid conversations between the UN Sec Gen and his deputy, in which Mohammed described Ruto as "ruthless" and told her boss that she “does not trust him”.
READ: Ruto paints picture of Kenya's struggling economy at UN General Assembly
The authenticity of some of the leaked documents is yet to be established, but they "certainly appear to have come from various sources of intelligence across the government," according to US national security spokesperson John Kirby who spoke to the BBC.
UN Deputy Sec Gen Amina Mohammed meets President Ruto at State House
Ms Mohammed visited Kenya in October 2022, nearly a month after President Ruto was sworn into office.
The President and Ms Mohammed discussed Kenya’s role as an anchor state of peace in the Horn of Africa.
The two leaders acknowledged that economies and livelihoods globally have been affected by the impact of climate change, while the region has suffered famine and prolonged drought as a result.
“Kenya is happy to work with the UN on security matters and issues brought by climate change, which have had an impact on many economies,” the head of state said.
He called on the international community to play its part in ensuring countries resolve their disputes peacefully.
In her part, she thanked President Ruto for inspiring action to mitigate climate change.
“We stand together to make the 2030 Agenda a reality. Thank you William President of Kenya, for inspiring us to act and your leadership to keep the promise of the #SDGs for people and for the planet,” she said in a post on Twitter.
This is a stark contrast to the alleged leaked correspondence with UN sec gen in which she expressed her reservations on the Kenyan head of state.