Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, hailed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga after he emerged second in the race for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC).

Speaking during a senate session in Nairobi, Cherargei remarked that despite Raila’s old age, he managed to contest for the position which was won after seven rounds of voting.

“It is not easy to go seven rounds. We know people who go one minute and 59 seconds; but at his age, Raila Odinga could manage to go seven rounds in the African Union,” Cherargei remarked.

Celebrating loss

He took issue with a section of Kenyans who celebrated Raila’s loss at the continental body, observing that the country Kenya lost and not an individual.

“I was disappointed that some people in parts of this country and others in social media could celebrate the loss of Raila Odinga. Raila never lost anything, it is Kenya who lost. For the people who celebrated, we tell them riswa na washindwe katika jina la Yesu Kristo,” Cherargei said.

Cherargei equally noted that some of the people who had celebrated the loss in Addis Ababa imagined that Raila would turn his back on President William Ruto.

Diplomatic blunders?

“Many people thought that when Raila lost the AUC, some people would be used to fight the government. Woe unto them; it will not happen,” he added.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka on his part, observed that diplomatic blunders could have cost the country the seat at the helm of the African Union.

Onyonka revealed that Kenya’s position on the Israel-Palestine war in Gaza, conflict in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the involvement of South Africa could have been contributors to the loss.

Cherargei, however, indicated that several factors including religion, language and the influence of Western powers could have been at play.

Raila took an early lead during the February 15, 2025, AUC elections in Ethiopia, winning the first two rounds before dropping to second position in the subsequent rounds.

The former premier withdrew from the race in the sixth round where he managed to garner 22 votes against Djibouti’s Mahmoud Youssouf’s 26.

In the seventh round, Youssouf ran against himself where he managed to get 33 votes to give him a four-year mandate at the helm of the African Union Commission (AUC).