The outcome of the vote at the UN Security Council late this week, on the issue involving Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, and their trials at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has further exposed the manipulative nature of the institution.

One would have thought that when the Security Council was debating internal reforms recently, vestiges of the post-World War II that today still tip the scales in favour of  a few powerful countries would have been scaled down or even done away with all together, but that was not the case.

Instead, weaker states were steamrolled over and their irrelevance in the world body stressed, as one by one they were cowed into silence in fear of sanctions, the Democles’ sword that hangs over their heads.

The UN as a whole has been manipulated by a few powerful countries to serve their selfish interests, to demonise whoever they want and prop up their protégées, no matter their sins.

Many non permanent members on the Security Council simply warm their seats and wait out their tenure, and are content to live with the status quo. But Rwanda rewrote the script after the outcome of the Kenyan vote, when it stood up for African countries and their dignity.

Will Africa take the cue from there and make its voice heard or will we continue to see some countries still dancing to the tunes of former colonial masters?

The issue is not about Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, it is about overlooking the wider picture of stability of a country that is threatened by terror. These kinds of double standards should push Africa to shake off its shackles and make its relevance felt in world affairs.