The Africa seat at the United Nations Security Council was the subject of a heated duel between two African countries who lobbied fiercely for the powerful prize.
On a second round of balloting, the seat went to Kenya which garnered 129 votes against 62 votes for Djibouti.
In the first round of voting on Wednesday, Kenya had 113 votes against Djibouti’s 78, but needed at least 128 votes to win.
Last week, Kenya’s foreign affairs minister Monica Juma took a swipe at Djibouti, accusing the country of failing to respect an African Union vote in August where members settled on Kenya as the official representative of the continent.
Kenya’s bruising campaign to capture the United Nations Security Council seat has exposed fractures within the African Union.