As the African Union Commission (AUC) elections draw closer, Kenyans are making their presence felt in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in a show of support for Mr Raila Odinga in what Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says is a "patriotic duty".
Speaking to the Nation on the sidelines of the 46th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council in Ethiopia yesterday, Mr Mudavadi said "Kenyans expect victory".
"Kenyans, I think, are waiting with bated breath. They're holding their breath because they're anxious and they're looking forward to Raila Odinga becoming the AUC chairman after Moussa Faki,” Mr Mudavadi said.
"So I think that is something that we cannot take away and that is now reflected in the number of people who have come of their own volition.”
Several government officials, governors, senators, Members of Parliament and county government officials from across the political divide began arriving in Addis yesterday ahead of the AUC presidential election on Saturday.
Mr Odinga is running against Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato.
"There are people in buses coming through Moyale to get to Addis Ababa on their own. There are so many Kenyans who have also come by other means, paying for themselves, paying for their own accommodation, not at government expense, purely at their own expense. So it's a good show of solidarity for Raila's candidacy," Mr Mudavadi, who is also the Foreign Affairs CS, told the Nation.
“The austerity measures that we are facing as a country are very much alive for us, and so we are not sponsoring anybody as a government because we are aware that we have our economic problems to deal with.
"The people who are here are people who have paid their own way, paid their own ticket, and those who are coming through Moyale and other means, they're coming on their own. It's patriotism at work."
The Executive Council, made up of African foreign ministers, is expected to elect and appoint the commissioners at its meeting on February 12-13.
The Assembly of Heads of State and Government will then elect and appoint the chairperson and deputy chairperson during their session on February15-16.
For the election of the chair, vice-chair and commissioners, voting will continue until one (1) of the candidates receives the two-thirds majority.
Voting shall begin with all candidates on the ballot paper and shall be three times and if the third ballot remains inconclusive with no candidate receiving a two-thirds majority, the next ballot shall be restricted to the candidates on the ballot paper, the next ballot shall be restricted to the two (2) candidates who received the highest number of votes and the candidate with fewer votes is withdrawn.
If there are initially only two candidates and none of them obtains the required majority after the third round of voting, the candidate with fewer votes is withdrawn and the remaining ones proceed to the next ballot.
