Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya Coalition leader Raila Odinga at public gathering at Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi on December 7, 2022.
Kenya’s veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga’s bid for the African Union Commission chairmanship faces a new hurdle after Seychelles endorsed the candidacy of former Vice President Vincent Meriton.
Others eyeing the seat are Fawzia Yusuf Adam of Somalia and Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
In a May 15, 2024 dispatch by the Foreign Affairs Department, the government of Seychelles officially announced the endorsement of Meriton to participate in the contest to succeed AU Commission chief Moussa Mahamat Faki.
The government recounted Meriton’s achievements during his days as a politician.
“Meriton has held numerous portfolios in the government, as minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, Health and Social Affairs, Information Technology, the Blue Economy and Entrepreneurship Development. He has also been the vice president of the Republic of Seychelles,” the statement said.
The government of Seychelles credited Meriton with championing the country’s position on the Blue Economy across the world.
Meriton served as vice president of Seychelles during Danny Faure’s presidency from 2016 to 2020.
The AU Commission Chairperson is elected by the Assembly – Heads of State and Governments – for a four-year term that can be renewed once.
Faki clinched the seat in 2017 after defeating then-Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.
Meriton’s candidacy, like Odinga’s and Adam’s, brings on board political experience, while Youssouf is a career diplomat.
Somalia ex-foreign minister Ms Fawzia Adam to challenge Kenya’s Raila Odinga for AUC seat.
The deadline set for submitting the official application is August. The member states of Eastern Africa will submit the names through the Regional Dean ahead of the February 2025 election.
Seychelles, a French and English-speaking Indian Ocean island nation, is off the coast of East Africa.
Seychelles joining the race complicates matters for Odinga even in terms of language, as Victoria seeks to bank on the Francophone and Anglophone blocs on the continent, to win.
Somalia has been blowing hot and cold on the Odinga candidacy. Kenya rallied Prime Minister Hamza Barre during his official visit to Nairobi to support Odinga.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and AU Commission Chairman Moussa Mahamat Faki at KICC, Nairobi, on November 27, 2018. Mr Odinga is bidding to succeed Faki as AU Commission boss.
However, the country’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdullahi Warfa, appears to be speaking a different language.
Warfa maintains that Mogadishu has been talking to Nairobi to back Adam “for she is a better candidate than Odinga”.
The ambassador said Somalia leaders are serious about Adam’s candidacy, adding that she has the support of the 15 Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members.
“We strongly believe that having held the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and having served the country’s foreign missions in America and Europe, Adam represents freshness,” Warfa said.
Odinga was Kenya’s second Prime Minister and has been an opposition leader for years.
Adam served as Somalia’s Foreign Minister and Deputy PM from November 2012 to January this year, the same month she was nominated by her country for the AU Commission chairperson seat.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Korir Song’oei, recently said Kenya has no plans to withdraw Odinga as candidate.
He dispelled fears that the government could abandon him, insisting that it remains focused on his candidacy.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called for additional funding for diplomatic outreach, saying the engagements include Kenya’s submission of Odinga as candidate for the AU Commission chairmanship.
While fronting Youssouf last month, Djibouti said he is fluent in French, English and Arabic.
“With more than two decades of experience as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, a haven of peace and which is distinguished by the constant search for conflict resolution through dialogue, Youssouf has the assets to meet the expectations and interests of the continent,” the dispatch from the government said.
The AU has given conditions on who it wants to be the commission chairperson.
The individual must have a master’s degree in law, international relations, economics, diplomacy, management, business administration, political science, social sciences or closely a related field from a recognised institution.
A doctorate in the fields is an added advantage, the commission said recently.
