President Uhuru Kenyatta’s last minute's talks with ten African leaders in the last minute lobbying for the election of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to the African Union Commission chairperson post has hit a snag.
Amina lost to her counterpart from Chad Moussa Mahamat who won in round seven with 38 votes against 24.The voting exercise was done on Monday in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
In the first round, Amina led with 16 votes against the Chad candidate who got 14 votes.Amina led in three rounds but he did not manage to get the required votes.
It has been discovered that most of the countries that were to vote for the Kenya withdrew.
Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi abandoned Kenya in the second round making it hard for Amina to sail through despite her having a better chance to be elected the African Union Chairperson.
Amina required 20 votes in the first round voting.A winner needs to secure a two-third win in the first round to avoid the second round voting.
From the word go, Uganda did not buy the idea of voting for the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary.They also influenced Djibouti who also pulled out.
The election was based on the candidate's experience and the ability to manage emerging African problems like insecurity, drought failing economy and election disputes that are being witnessed in the continent.
Earlier own President Uhuru Kenyatta had pleaded with the East African Community (EAC) to elect one of their own because the EAC had never had a chance of leading the African Union Commission.
By Kenya allies abandoning her during her time of need has left many diplomats and the president asking many questions as to what happened.
Initially, the president was pushing for Amina’s election so that Keya could strengthen its Social and economic ties.
It meant that Kenya would have gain economically by the CS influencing investors to come to Kenya.
It was also alleged that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto were pushing the election of Amina Mohamed owing to the concluded ICC cases at the Hague.Amina Mohamed had proved to be a strong force in Kenya’s cases at the ICC.
The new AU chairperson replaces South African Nkosana Dlamini-Zuma who had finished his four-year tenure.
Meanwhile, Kenya also failed to clinch deputy chairman position which was held by Erastus Mwenja from Ghana.
Uganda abandons Kenya, as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s lobbying for a Kenyan to head the AU hit a snag
By Paul Barasa
| Jan. 31, 2017