Kenya has scheduled a series of campaign events for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as he seeks to chair the African Union Commission (AUC).
The official launch of his candidacy will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on November 8. Odinga’s campaign secretariat is currently preparing for the event at the African Union (AU) headquarters as efforts ramp up.
“Candidate RAO was in Addis yesterday (Monday) for the inauguration of the renovated Africa Hall at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),” the secretariat reported.
Elkanah Odembo, co-chairperson of Odinga’s campaign secretariat, emphasized, “We have set November 8 as the date for launching his campaign in Addis. The team is developing a comprehensive program that will demonstrate he is the right man for the enormous task of ensuring the AUC can effectively deliver on Agenda 2063.”
The former Kenyan ambassador to the United States is leading Odinga’s campaign alongside Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei. Odembo revealed that Odinga has planned several activities to intensify his campaign for the regional post.
“Some of the locations the candidate and his team intend to visit include the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit in Bujumbura, Burundi, on October 31,” Odembo noted.
On November 5, just three days before the campaign launch in Addis, Odinga is set to attend the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. This event precedes COP29, which will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 16 to 20.
Odembo mentioned that Odinga’s secretariat has also planned extensive campaigns across Africa, including visits to at least six capitals over the next four weeks. “He will visit Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Porto-Novo (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Abuja (Nigeria), Algiers (Algeria), and Gaborone (Botswana),” he added.
Odinga faces competition from Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Youssouf, former Mauritian Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, and his former Madagascan counterpart Richard James Randriamandrato.
Dr. Sing’oei stated that projections indicate Odinga remains in the lead, saying, “We are not there yet, but we are well over 60 percent.” He also noted that President Ruto and Raila Odinga have engaged in one-on-one discussions with various heads of state, including during the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Additionally, Dr. Sing’oei mentioned the upcoming “Mjadala Africa” debate, stating, “We are waiting for the date from the AUC, and we will continue with the campaigns.”
