| As UN Corrupt in
Nairobi for Wasteful
$340 M Gigiri Site
Guterres Set to Visit as
USUN Closes Ears
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack UN GATE
/ Nairobi, May 8 – How corrupt
is today's UN under Antonio
Guterres? Consider the UN
Office in Nairobi (UNON), on
which UN spokespeople Stephane
Dujarric and Melissa Fleming
have refused all Press
questions. Now while
the US Mission to the UN
pretends to a public that
doesn't know (and mostly
doesn't care) that it is
reforming UN offices and
missions with bureaucratic
studies and changes in
language, it has done nothing
to stop the waste, and
Guterres' ban on the Press
which exposes it. Inner City
Press exclusively published
the below, and directly raised
it to USUN, Mike Waltz and
Jeff Bartos - nothing. Actually, it's
worse - after Inner City Press
emailed the US Mission
questions including about this
Gigiri waste on May 5, on May
8 when it sent follow up
questions the US Mission and
its Press line blocked the
email. Mike Waltz has gone
entirely native at the UN, it
seems.... Also since the
publication below, it is
reported that "Guterres is
scheduled to visit Kenya on
May 11, 2026, for a
high-profile engagement
expected to highlight
Nairobi’s expanding role as a
global diplomatic and
multilateral hub. During the
visit, Guterres will join
President William Ruto in
presiding over the
groundbreaking and official
launch of a major expansion
project at the United Nations
Office at Nairobi (UNON) in
Gigiri." To get his cut? Dear Matthew
Russell Lee, Controversy has
emerged around the leadership
of Zainab Bangura,
Director-General of the United
Nations Office at Nairobi
(UNON), in relation to the
management of a $340 million
construction program at the
UN’s Gigiri complex. The project,
overseen during a period of
financial strain within the
United Nations, has been
accompanied by serious
internal concerns, raising
broader questions about
governance, accountability,
and the effectiveness of
oversight mechanisms. A
misconduct investigation was
initiated in mid-2025 by the
Office of Internal Oversight
Services (OIOS). However, the
investigation was ultimately
closed, with OIOS concluding
that the evidence did not
substantiate the allegations.
This outcome has
generated internal unease and
skepticism, particularly given
the nature and volume of
concerns raised by staff and
diplomats. Among the
most contentious issues were
allegations of
disproportionate allocation of
office space to Zainab Bangura
and her small team, including
control over more than half a
floor in a newly constructed
building, while other senior
officials such as Huang Xia
were reportedly required to
negotiate for reduced space. Additional
concerns included personalized
modifications to office
layouts, conversion of
facilities for discretionary
use, and installation of
restricted-access features
benefiting the
Director-General alone.
Further allegations pointed to
potential misuse of resources
and privileges,
including: Engagement
with the Saudi embassy to fund
a private pilgrimage to Mecca
without clear approval
procedures; Repeated booking
of high-end hotel
accommodation at UN expense
despite the availability of an
official residence; Use of
official vehicles for private
purposes, including
long-distance travel to a
personal event not recorded in
official reports. These patterns
have contributed to a
perception of privilege, lack
of accountability, and
possible abuse of authority at
senior levels. The decision by
OIOS to close the
investigation without further
action has intensified
concerns about the credibility
and independence of internal
oversight mechanisms,
particularly in high-profile
or politically sensitive
cases. The situation is
further complicated by
institutional dynamics,
including Bangura’s
connections within UN
headquarters, her past role
under Ban Ki-moon, and her
perceived proximity to Deputy
Secretary-General Amina J.
Mohammed. Meanwhile, the
posture of António Guterres,
including his decision not to
engage directly with
Nairobi-based leadership
during his visit, has been
interpreted by some as
reflecting underlying
institutional
discomfort. Taken
together, this case
illustrates a broader
structural issue: serious
allegations of misconduct and
misuse of authority may not be
subjected to sufficiently
transparent or rigorous
scrutiny, particularly when
handled internally. The
closure of the OIOS
investigation, despite
persistent concerns,
reinforces perceptions that
oversight mechanisms may lack
independence or effectiveness,
thereby weakening confidence
in the UN’s commitment to
accountability. This controversy
underscores the urgent need
for reform of OIOS, including
stronger independence,
enhanced transparency, and
external review mechanisms, to
ensure that allegations of
corruption, abuse of
authority, and misuse of
resources are addressed with
credibility and integrity
across all duty stations. The
urgent need for reform of
Office of Internal Oversight
Services(OIOS) as it reaches
the final stage of
institutional decay. What as
USUN done? Nothing. Instead,
as on the UNMISS resolution,
Jeff Bartos unleashed a ten
tweet series on the Committee
on Information - without
mentioning that Under
Secretary General Melissa
Fleming, which the Committee
oversees, bans the Press and
has refused even to answer two
letters from two US law firms,
pro bono, seeking a dialogue
to end the ban on Inner City
Press. USUN has gone native,
putting style (of resolutions)
over substance (ending waste,
fraud and censorship). Back on
November 6, 2025, in what
seems like a pre-approved list
shared by the UNMISS-SMG by
mistake - and now given no
answers published by Inner
City Press on its
DocumentCloud here
- details some offices with
specific names of
International staff, to be
considered for cuts. It has
happened at MINUSCA in Central
African Republic too - and no
answers from UN. Guterres, they say, should end censorship. Application was made on June 19, 2025, here. Still as of October 7 no answer at all from Melissa Fleming or Stephane Dujarric. Totally corrupt. Watch this site.
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innercitypress.com |
Friday, May 15, 2026
As UN Corrupt in Nairobi for Wasteful $340 M Gigiri Site Guterres Set to Visit as USUN Closes Ears
