Back home, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said Raila was the best candidate for the AUC position, touting his experience in key public sector leadership roles."As ODM secretary-general, I wish Baba the best in his quest to be AUC chair. I am confident that he is more than qualified for the role and that the AUC will benefit immensely from his vast experience, knowledge, and understanding of African affairs," said Sifuna.
Dismas Mokua, a political risk analyst who sits on Raila's team of strategists, said Raila's networks would be crucial as he seeks the continental post.
"Raila has a first-name relationship with a good number of AUC electors. He has a unique opportunity to translate these relationships into electoral votes," said Mokua.
In August, President William Ruto unveiled Raila as Kenya's candidate at a State House event attended by neighbouring Heads of State.
The former premier faces three other Eastern African candidates: Mahamoud Ali Youssouf (Djibouti), Richard Mahitson Randriamandrato (Madagascar), and Anil Gayan (Mauritius). Youssouf, Djibouti's Foreign Affairs minister, is seen as the strongest challenger to Raila. He needs votes from 32 out of the 48 eligible African nations to secure a first-round win in the race to succeed outgoing chair Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad, who has served two four-year terms.
The opposition veteran has secured the support of East African nations and is believed to have the backing of more than 25 countries. Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema is the latest to endorse Raila, after a meeting with Ruto in Bujumbura, Burundi, last week.
In March, the African Union Executive Council agreed that the Eastern Africa region would submit candidates for the AU chairperson post, and Ruto has been pushing for the region to back a single candidate.
The council also agreed that the deputy AUC chairperson should be a Muslim woman from the northern part of the continent-a factor that could hurt the Djibouti candidate's chances, since he also comes from the Muslim North.