The United Nations in Kenya
Kenya was admitted to United Nations membership on 16 December 1963, the same year the country attained independence. In 1996, the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) was established, becoming one of four major UN office sites and the UN’s headquarters in Africa.
The 1970s saw further expansion of the United Nations presence in Kenya when the country became host to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP moved to the Kenyatta Conference Centre in 1974, and on to its current location in Gigiri in 1975, where it was joined in 1978 by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, now known as UN-HABITAT. Today there are 23 UN agencies operating from Nairobi.
How To Apply
The process of applying for a United Nations job starts on the website. Once you have explored the Job Openings and selected a role that interests you, and for which you have the required experience and qualifications, you can begin the process by selecting “Apply Now” on the Job Description page.
On the page, you will find step-by-step instructions for applying under Application Process , as well as guidelines for completing Application forms and preparing for an interview.
You will also find information about assessments for UN jobs under Information about Assessments, Examinations, and Tests.
Applying for a job in the UN requires some preparation, so we created a step-by-step guide to give you an overview of this process.
Searching for job openings
Job openings at the United Nations are posted daily on this website. You can also search according to location and your area of expertise.
If you want to receive e-mails letting you know about newly posted jobs, you must first create and log into your Inspira account. You can then perform a Job Search that can be saved to generate a Job Alert that matches your search criteria.
For instructions on how to create a Job Alert, please see the Applicant Guide (p.3).
Submitting a job application
Once you find a job in Job Openings and decide to apply, click on “Apply”. This will link you directly to Inspira, where you can log in and either begin a new application or choose an existing application to adapt.
Depending on the job you are applying for you may get a set of questions. Similarly, you may be given a list of skills and be asked to perform a self-assessment on these.
Note: resumes are not considered a substitute or complementary to a completed online application. If any additional information or documentation is required, you will be asked to submit it during the application process.
If you have submitted your job application successfully, you will receive an automated confirmation by email shortly after submitting. Also note that once an application has been submitted it cannot be changed for that specific job opening.
