Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has attributed ODM leader Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson position to Kenya’s controversial foreign policy decisions.

Speaking during a Senate session on February 19, 2025, Sifuna argued that the country’s diplomatic stances may have alienated potential supporters.

He emphasized that it was Kenya’s foreign policy, rather than Raila’s qualifications, that led to his defeat by Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in the AUC elections.

“I want to say very clearly that there’s a consensus that there was nothing wrong with our candidate. The problem as I see it and understand it is the bad manners of the republic that he was fronted by,” Sifuna stated.

The senator highlighted instances where Kenya’s foreign policy contradicted Raila’s principles, especially concerning regional conflicts and democratic values.

He specifically criticized Kenya’s decision to host certain opposition groups from the Democratic Republic of Congo, suggesting this undermined regional stability.

“We were all perturbed when leaders of a rebel movement were granted the opportunity to speak from our shores here… Raila is a democrat he would never support the upending of power other than by means of democratic processes,” he explained.

Conflicting positions

Sifuna also pointed out conflicting positions on global conflicts, particularly the situation in the Middle East, as potentially damaging to Raila’s candidacy.

“Raila is my party leader and I have heard him publicly take a position to support the Palestinian people and say they have a right to a home. That is the position of the candidate but what is the position of the sponsoring country?” Sifuna questioned.

He argued that such contradictions between Raila’s personal stances and Kenya’s official positions likely influenced the outcome of the AUC elections.

“When the sponsoring country takes an opposite position to the candidate it presents a problem,” Sifuna noted.

Contrasting views

In contrast, constitutional lawyer PLO Lumumba offered a different perspective on why Raila lost his AUC bid, citing age as a significant factor.

Speaking on a local media station on February 17, 2025, Lumumba criticized Kenya’s decision to nominate Raila for the position, calling it a strategic misstep.

“When you are eighty years of age, you don’t seek an office of that kind. This is a CEO’s office which entails a lot of travel, sitting in meetings, fundraising and all. At 80, you ought to retire,” Lumumba said.

He also criticized Kenya’s diplomatic approach during the campaign, particularly the size of the delegation sent to Addis Ababa, where the AUC elections were taking place.

He called for accountability, suggesting that Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi should be held responsible for the diplomatic failures.

“If I was the president of Kenya my first act would be to remove my Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and everybody who was involved because the diplomatic missteps that were being committed at all levels during the runup to this election is without comparison,” he concluded.