EAC leaders gather in Nairobi over Raila Odinga's African Union bid

NAIROBI, Kenya - Several East African Community (EAC) leaders will gather in Nairobi on Tuesday (August 27) to discuss Raila Odinga's bid for the African Union Commission chairmanship, a seat whose current occupant Moussa Faki, will cede in February 2025.

President William Ruto, the official proposer of Mr. Odinga, a former Prime Minister, has invited all EAC leaders for the formal launch of Raila Odinga's campaigns, with the regional bloc expected to rally behind one candidate.

The internal rules have already cleared the East African regional bloc for fielding the chairperson, which is now rotational. Only East Africa and North Africa have yet to produce a Chairperson, with the current holder coming from the central regions.

This strategic move follows discussions and agreements among EAC leaders, indicating a unified front in the upcoming AUC elections in February 2025. Mr. Odinga, Kenya's opposition leader, had members of his party featuring in Ruto's broad-based government which came into place a few weeks ago.

The initiative reflects Kenya's diplomatic efforts to rally regional support, enhancing Odinga's prospects in what is anticipated to be a competitive race for the AUC leadership, analysts say.

Having narrowly lost his fifth bid to be president of Kenya, Odinga has developed a close working relationship with his former political nemesis William Ruto, and the two are often seen in meetings together, indicating a change in Kenya's political trajectory.

Odinga will face Djibouti's Foreign Affairs minister Youssouf Ali and two others, in a contest that rekindled Kenya's 2017 outing. At that time, Kenya fronted former foreign affairs minister Amina Mohamed, who lost to Moussa Faki of Chad.

Odinga's campaign team is led by Kenya's Foreign Affairs minister Musalia Mudavadi, with close supervision of President William Ruto. Paul Kagame, Yoweri Museveni, and Suluhu Hassan have all thrown their support behind Mr. Odinga.

GAROWE ONLINE