Raila set to submit AUC chairman application with state backing

Azimio leader Raila Odinga at Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadis office in Nairobi. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]

Azimio leader Raila Odinga’s bid for Africa Union Commission (AUC) Chairman is gaining momentum after he signed his application documents ahead of the submission deadline on August 6 when the official candidates vying for the seat will be known.

Raila’s AUC Chairmanship bid Committee has finalised his documents, which include his vision, mission, priorities and also a profile highlighting his qualifications, experience and qualities with Curriculum Vitae also to be submitted to the Commission Headquarters.

Djibouti Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Youssuf and former Somalia Foreign Affairs Minister Fawzia Adam will face off with Raila in the race to succeed AUC Chairman Mahamat Faki whose term in office is coming to an end.

President William Ruto’s administration in June announced officially taking over the Azimio leader’s campaign with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi leading a shuttle diplomacy in order to ensure that the country bags the seat even as Raila also uses his international networks to boost his chances.

Raila clarified that he was vying for a position in Africa, not in the government or the Republic of Kenya and that he had made a personal decision to go for the seat and did not seek the government's opinion on the matter. “I was surprised when President Ruto’s government initially decided to support my bid since I did not expect it, my experience as the Africa Union High Commissioner for Infrastructural Development prepared me adequately for this challenge,” he said.

The opposition leader said that he was Pan Africanist and Afro optimist and he looks forward to a time when one will not be required to have a visa to travel across the continent proposing that there ought to be one visa for the continent.

Mudavadi said that campaigns are led by the State with highly experienced and knowledgeable officers with the State Department for Foreign Affairs having established a campaign Secretariat which includes the candidate’s strategy team.

He revealed that the campaign team has done the requisite translations of the resume into six African Union languages (French, English, Kiswahili, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish) ready for submission to the AU Secretariat.

“Raila is a Pan Africanist who espouses the Think Africa above all guiding principle of the Africa Union Commission, he holds dear the African Union's ambition of being a people-centred organisation, in him we have a visionary leader to fire up the African Union to greater levels,” said Mudavadi.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary said that Raila’s experience and leadership philosophy align with the commission’s values of efficiency, professionalism and respect for diversity and they have no doubt that he will pursue excellence in line with the continent’s aspirations of ‘the Africa We Want in 2063’ as framed in the AU’s development framework of agenda 2063. 

Mudavadi explained that despite the world becoming more fragmented and competitive, Kenya believes that multi-polarity presents economic and geopolitical opportunities for Africa therefore, a ‘a-whole-of-AU strategic approach to the emerging world order will enable member states to project a common voice on global matters of consequence and enhance Africa’s bargaining power for mutual benefit.’

He said for the continent to speak and act as one, the AUC will have to be more proactive and strategic in overcoming the persistent challenges that beset the AU, namely funding shortages, logistical inadequacies, and the cyclic nature of conflicts.

Mudavadi regretted that the AU continues to grapple with cases of political instability, economic intricacies, weak international influence and undue external influence driven by a new Cold War in the continent.