Kenya sets date for launch of Raila's AUC bid in Addis
Raila Odinga during a press briefing on the status of Kenya's candidacy for the African Union chairmanship in Nairobi on June 5, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Mr Odinga's campaign secretariat said it was now working on plans to launch his campaigns in Addis, the headquarters of the African Union (AU), next month as the campaigns reached a fever pitch.
Kenya has lined up campaign events for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's bid to chair the African Union Commission (AUC) ahead of the official launch of his candidacy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, scheduled for November 8.
Kenya launched Mr Odinga's bid on August 27 in Nairobi, a ceremony attended by some East African Community leaders who endorsed his candidacy, and expects the Addis launch next month to raise the visibility of his candidacy.
President William Ruto presided over the launch in Nairobi, while EAC Chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of South Sudan, led the regional presidents in endorsing Mr Odinga for the top continental post.
EAC colleagues joined President Kiir in declaring their countries' support for Mr Odinga. They include Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Burundi's Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca and Rwanda's Foreign Minister James Kabarebe, who represented President Paul Kagame.
Mr Odinga's campaign secretariat said it was now working on plans to launch his campaigns in Addis, the headquarters of the African Union (AU), next month as the campaigns reached a fever pitch.
“Candidate RAO was in Addis yesterday (Monday) for the inauguration of the renovated Africa Hall at the UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa).
“We have set the date of November 8th for the launch of his campaigns in Addis and the team is working on developing a comprehensive programme... [The launch will] make it clear that he is the right man for the enormous task of ensuring the AUC is fit to deliver Agenda 2063,” said Mr Elkanah Odembo, co-chairperson of Mr Odinga’s campaign secretariat.
The former Kenyan ambassador to the United States is running Mr Odinga's campaigns along with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei.
Mr Odembo revealed that the former Prime Minister has lined up several activities as he intensifies his campaigns for the regional post.
“Some of the places the candidate and team plan to visit include the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit in Bujumbura, Burundi on October 31,” said Mr Odembo.
Comesa comprises 21 African member States that came together to promote regional integration through trade and the development of natural and human resources for the mutual benefit of all people in the region.
The number, Mr Odembo said, is crucial to Mr Odinga’s win in the February 2025 AUC poll.
On November 5, just three days before the launch of his campaigns in Addis, Mr Odinga is expected to attend the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, ahead of the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, between November 16 and 20.
Mr Odembo noted that Mr Odinga's secretariat has also planned massive campaigns across Africa, with visits to at least six capitals in the next four weeks.
“[He will visit] Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Porto-Novo (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Abuja (Nigeria), Algiers (Algeria) and Gaborone (Botswana).”
The visits come barely a month after President William Ruto wrote to all African leaders about Kenya's bid to chair the AUC.
In an exclusive interview, Dr Sing'oei revealed that President Ruto reached out to his colleagues across the continent as part of Mr Odinga's campaign for the regional post.
“When we came back from New York, the president signed letters to all Heads of State on the continent presenting the candidature of Mr Odinga, thanking a number of them who have already indicated their support and urging the rest to come through,” Dr Sing’oei told the Nation.
He said that Kenya was exploring all avenues for victory.
Mr Odinga faces Djibouti's Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Youssouf, former Mauritian Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and his former Madagascan counterpart Richard James Randriamandrato.
Dr Sing'oei said their projections indicate that Mr Odinga remains ahead, adding, "We are not there yet but we are well over 60 percent".
He said President Ruto and Mr Odinga have had one-on-one interactions with various heads of state, including during the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.
Dr Sing'oei said they are also focusing on the "Mjadala Africa debate which is coming very soon. We are waiting for the date from AUC and basically to continue with the campaigns."
