Raila Odinga leaves for week-long visit to the US

Opposition leader Raila Odinga (pictured) left the country on Saturday evening for a one week visit to the U.S.

Raila’s spokesperson Dennis Onyango said the former premier is set to deliver a lecture at the Duke University in North Carolina.

He is also scheduled to meet Kenyans from the Raleigh area and meet business leaders from the State.

Nyando MP Jared Okelo is among those accompanying the new Africa Union (AU) envoy for Infrastructure and Development in Africa.

In his new role as a special envoy of the AU chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Raila will have offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Nairobi.

Raila on Saturday while attending Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kakamega county, revealed that he had been picked for the position to lead AU’s efforts in mobilizing political support and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and advocating for better relationships on the continent.

Faki said Raila had been picked for his rich political experience and his strong commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism and African integration, as well as a deep knowledge of infrastructure development.

Raila has also mediated in the South Sudan peace talks between President Salva Kiir and his nemesis Dr Riek Machar.