I’ll deliver if elected to AUC, pledges Raila during prayers
By Rawlings Otieno, February 11, 2025The race to succeed Moussa Faki as African Union Commission (AUC) chair has heightened with women from the Orange party hosting interdenominational prayers for Kenya’s candidate Raila Odinga.
Raila, who has been criss-crossing the African continent in hunt for votes, will be flying to Addis Ababa ahead of the crucial vote by African Heads of State and Government on Saturday February 15, 2025.
Raila, who has unsuccessfully vied for presidency five times, could overturn his misfortunes by bagging the AUC post.
The former Prime Minister is only five days away from knowing his fate.
Raila is contesting against Mahmoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato.
Yesterday, an emphatic Raila exuded confidence that irrespective of the outcome of the polls, Kenya and Africa at large would have won the race.
Raila pledged that if elected, he would streamline education, health, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors, and also increase road networks to connect Africa.
“Those who know my record know that I always deliver a good job. If I am elected, I will streamline several sectors in Africa. I will work tirelessly in the education, health, infrastructure, manufacturing and road networks sectors. I will work with other African leaders,” said Raila.
He went on: “We shall be the victors. If we win we shall have won, if we lose we shall have won. We have travelled the whole of Africa, met leaders and talked to them about our vision for our continent, Africa for Africa, which is my agenda and I am confident I will be elected AUC chairman,” he said.
At the prayer session, Raila arrived accompanied by Ida Odinga and a host of leaders, including Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi, ODM Nairobi branch Chairman and Makadara MP George Aladwa and nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana among other leaders.
Apart from the AUC chairperson’s seat, some six candidates Latifa Akharbach (Morocco), Najat Elhajjaji (Libya), Hanan Morsy (Egypt), Mohamed Ahmed Fathi (Egypt), Selma Malika (Algeria) and Salah Francis (Algeria) will square it out for the position of the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
A winner will be declared when two-thirds majority of the Heads of State from the 55 AU member states vote in their favour.
Under the AU rules, the voting is done by secret ballot and shall continue until one of the candidates obtains the two-thirds majority vote.
The previous AUC elections saw Moussa Faki beat Kenya’s then-candidate Amina Mohamed after seven rounds of voting.
An analysis of Raila’s past diplomatic tours reveals that more than 28 African heads of state have pledged their support for Raila.
These include Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Togo, Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi.
Others include Comoros, Tanzania, Uganda, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Seychelles, Mauritius, Rwanda, Burundi, Algeria, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Sudan and Eritrea.
The election will be preceded with the African Peer Review Forum of Heads and Government.
The 3rd Extraordinary and 34th Ordinary Sessions of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government will address critical governance issues, including the peer review of various Country Review and Targeted Review reports on National Plans of action, and the presentation of the Africa Governance Report (AGR) 2025.
The African Union on January 27, 2025, revealed that the 2025 elections would be conducted in two phases.
The AU Executive Council, comprising foreign ministers from member states, will elect and appoint the commissioners who will oversee various portfolios within the AU Commission in the first phase, which will take place between February 12 and 13, 2025.
However, in the second phase, candidates vying for top leadership positions including AUC chairperson and deputy chairpersons will be voted.