The officer of former president Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that he is fully supporting Raila Odinga’s candidature for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Uhuru’s spokesperson, Kanze Dena, said he even wanted to attend the official launch of Raila’s AUC bid at State House Nairobi but unfortunately skipped due to his other engagements outside the country.
"He is out of the country, and that is why he did not attend the launch. He fully supports Raila's candidacy," said Kanze Dena.In the new development, it has emerged that the former head of state is tapping into his old networks to help Raila clinch the seat in the elections slated for February 2025.
Elkana Odembo, a top brass of Raila’s campaign secretariat, disclosed that Uhuru has been reaching out to his former colleagues across the continent, urging them to support Raila.
"The former president had a lot of connections with some of his ex-colleagues and is one of the key influencers we are working with to reach out to the heads of state who will be participating in next year's election, which is just five months away now," said Odembo.Raila is competing against Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Madagascar’s Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato and former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Gayan.
Inside Raila’s manifesto
If elected, Raila said he would make the African Union (AU) more people-centered and serve the interests of the vast, voiceless majority of Africans.
If elected, Raila said he would utilise the transition period to critically analyse the existing proposals for reforms and build the capacity of the AU Commission. He said he would follow up on the implementation of the reports so far formulated.
With the African Development Bank report indicating that Africa accounts for eleven of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies in the world, Raila pledged to use his position as the AUC chair to complement the efforts made by heads of state for the continent to continue growing economically.
Raila further said he plans to work with African presidents to integrate Africa. He noted that it was unfortunate some forces were trying so hard to separate African countries.