Blunders Raila and Ruto hope to avoid in bid for Africa's top seat

From left: Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiy, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and lawyer Makau Mutua in Bujumbura, on February 12, 2025. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard] Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday made a stop in Bujumbura, Burundi, in a last-minute campaign for his candidature to replace Moussa Faki Mahamat as the African Union Commission (AUC) chairman. As he met President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the ODM leader has history to look back to and avoid the pitfalls that saw Kenya lose the seat in 2017. Raila faces Djibouti's Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahamoud Youssouf, and former Madagascar Foreign Minister, Richard Randriamandrato, in elections slated for Saturday, a high-stakes affair for Raila and President William Ruto. Yesterday, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who attended the AU Executive Council meeting in Addis Ababa, campaigned for Raila among fellow Foreign Affairs ministers as part of a strategy the campaign team has adopted to cover more ground. The plan also involves having Raila and Dr Ruto reach out to Heads of State and Government. The last time Kenya sought this coveted seat, critics argue that former President Uhuru Kenyatta had planned to build his influence and push personal interests. The previous year, Uhuru had pushed for a mass withdrawal of African states from the International Criminal Court. The retired Head of State and Ruto (then Deputy President) had their crimes against humanity cases over their alleged role in the 2007/2008 post-election violence collapse. Possibly embarrassed by being placed on the dock in a foreign city, Uhuru had led a ruthless campaign for the withdrawal. He then nominated his Foreign Affairs minister, Amina Mohamed, for the AUC chairmanship. An aggressive shuttle diplomacy, led by Uhuru and Ruto, saw the nation secure commitments from neighbouring states. But on the election day, many of those commitments went unhonoured. Nine years later, Ruto struggles to conceal his desire to make a mark on the continent. Pan-African agenda Since he assumed the presidency, Ruto has advanced a pan-African agenda. He got standing ovations for his initial speeches and earned many speaking invitations across the continent. In a diplomatic show of might, he assembled Heads of State and Government in Nairobi for the African Climate Summit in September, 2023. Like Uhuru, Ruto cannot escape accusations that he seeks personal gain. Some observers say it's a strategy to keep the former premier away from local politics ahead of 2027 elections. Ruto borrowed a leaf from his predecessor, who, after a 2018 truce with Raila, is believed to have fronted the opposition chief for a role as the AU's high representative for infrastructure. Raila has denied that Uhuru played a part. A year after opposition protests, the President announced that he would support Raila's candidature. Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi, an expert in international relations, argues the move risks portraying Kenya as selfish. Such concerns featured in 2017. "African heads know what is happening in other countries and they have their national interest to advance. Some are happy with the turmoil in Kenya. It is very unfortunate to have your cause championed by a person perceived to be the second most corrupt person in the world. But we wish the ODM leader all the best because if he wins, Kenya wins," he says. In a previous interview, Macharia Munene, a professor of history and international relations, said individual interests would determine the vote. "Every leader is thinking about three factors that will determine their vote: Their relationship with Ruto and whether he is a reliable man, what they think of Kenya as a country and what they know and think of Raila," said Prof Munene. Like in 2017, Kenya has secured many endorsements and Raila will be hoping the nations keep their word. Last week, his campaign secretariat co-chairperson, Elkanah Odembo, said the former premier had secured the support of 28 nations. On Monday, Raila said he was ready for whatever outcome. Indeed, he cannot afford to count his chicks before they hatch in a race based on several factors. Chief among them is the linguistic barrier that has seen Francophone countries rally behind one of their own, with Anglophones sticking to their side. Religion has also been known to play a factor, as well as the regional blocs. While the slot is reserved for Eastern Africa, the three contestants belong to various regional blocs. For instance, Raila and Youssouf belong to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development while Randriamandrato belongs to the Southern Africa Development Community. Some have attributed Mohamed's loss to her perceived inexperience in continental affairs. Many believe this is an area Raila thrives. "He has had the experience of serving as the AU's High Representative and has been a critical voice through our Kenyan representatives to the Pan-African Parliament where he put the infrastructure agenda high," says Belgut MP Nelson Koech.

Blunders Raila and Ruto hope to avoid in bid for Africa's top seat

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS

DIGGER JOBS

Digger Motors

Digger Real Estate

Blunders Raila and Ruto hope to avoid in bid for Africa's top seat

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Related Topics

Trending Now

Popular this week

Latest Stories

The Standard Insider

Digger Classified

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH US

FOR THE LATEST JOB ADVERTS