President Uhuru holds meeting with 10 African presidents over Amina

President Uhuru Kenyatta held talks with ten African Heads of State and Government in his last ditch effort to make sure that Amina Mohammed is elected the new African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson.

Amina, who is Kenya's Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary is competing with four other candidates to replace outgoing chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The other candidates are Dr Pelonomi Venson Moitoi of Botswana (SADC), Senegal's Dr Abdoulaye Bathily (ECOWAS), Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad (North Africa) and Equatorial Guinea's Agapito Mba Mokuy (Central Africa).

Given the unpredictability of the vote, Uhuru on Sunday night held talks with Presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Patrice Trovoada, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe, Hage Geingob of Namibia, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and President Paul Kagame.

Others were Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt.

Speaking at the Sheraton Hotel, where he held the talks, Uhuru said Amina needs a minimum of 20 votes in the first round of voting but a winner needs to secure a two-thirds win in the first round to avoid a second round vote.

Uhuru is said to have requested Museveni to back Amina's candidature after it emerged that Uganda and Djibouti were among the countries that were pulling away from supporting the Kenya CS.

Uhuru maintained that Amina presents the best option as AU looks to finance its own programmes without relying heavily on development partners to fund its programmes.