Kenya: President Ruto backs rival Odinga in race to chair African Union Commission

Kenya has officially submitted the candidacy of historic opponent Raila Odinga to succeed Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat in the race to chair the African Union Commission, Nairobi announced in a press release. The election is due to take place in February 2025.

Following the principle of rotation, it is the turn of the East African region to present candidates. Raila Odinga announced his candidacy at the beginning of the year. He has since won the support of the Government, which said “the remarkable life and exemplary career of the Honorable Raila Odinga make him the ideal person to head the African Union Commission.”

Raila Odinga, for his part, said he was dedicated to “bringing home the siege.” The calls of the opposition leader and presidential loser to William Ruto in 2022 for demonstrations against the government paralyzed the country for several weeks last year.

Many observers see a rapprochement between the two men in recent months, with William Ruto’s support for Raila Odinga’s candidacy. This rapprochement has been all the more commented on since last week, when the President appointed four members of the opposition party to his new government.

Both parties, however, deny any alliance. The stakes are also strategic for the Head of State. Political analyst Dismas Mokua points out that if Raila Odinga wins this mandate within the African Union, he will have to step back from Kenyan politics and therefore from the 2027 presidential election.

Kenya still has to convince African states to vote for its candidate. Nairobi claims to have already received several endorsements, including from Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Algeria. Several other countries in the region have announced their candidacies, including Djibouti, Somalia, and the Seychelles. This August 6 is the deadline for applications.