CS Amina blames division along linguistic lines for her loss

Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed.

Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed blames Africa's division along linguistic lines as key reason why she lost AU poll to Chad’s Moussa Mahamat. She also said that Kenya probing claims EAC countries abandoned her.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed lost out to Chad’s Moussa Mahamat in the race to become the chair of the African Union Commission in the Round Seven vote.

Ms Mohamed fell to a strong onslaught fronted by countries from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) after seven rounds of voting that saw three other candidates fall by the wayside early in the voting.

Amina, 56, lost to Mahamat after heads of state voted in the seventh round.

The elections in Addis Ababa, which were delayed for two hours after the opening ceremony, took up to 3pm, eating into the time of the voting for the AUC chairperson that was scheduled to take place at 2pm.

The African Heads of State and Government were forced to break and resume the voting session at 4pm.

The African leaders took their seats at the assembly summit at 4.30pm and the voting started.

In the first round, Amina was leading with 16 votes against Chad's candidate who had 14 votes. Botswana's Dr Pelonomi Moitoi secured 10 votes, same as Senegal's candidate.

In round two, Amina slipped and scored 17 votes against Chad's candidate who managed 24 votes. Senegal and Botswana scored eight votes each.