Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader Raila Odinga has received an endorsement from The Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) for his African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship bid.

Raila on Friday, August 16, 2024, hosted the IEK leadership at his Capitol Hill office in Nairobi, from where they announced their support for his AUC bid.

Raila on engineers’ support

Taking to his official X account moments after his meeting with the Kenyan engineers, Raila announced that he was happy to have received their support.

The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party leader was also elated that more women have now become engineers in Kenya.

Details of Raila-engineers meeting

Raila says he engaged in a discussion with the engineers, which touched on the welfare and professional development of the engineering community in the country.

“I hosted The Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), led by their president, Eng. Shammah Kiteme. We engaged in a discussion about the welfare and professional development of the engineering community. I’m happy to receive their support for my AUC bid and delighted that many more women are now engineers in Kenya,” Raila stated.

I hosted @TheIEK, led by their president, Eng. Shammah Kiteme. We engaged in a discussion about the welfare and professional development of the engineering community. I'm happy to receive their support for my AUC bid and delighted that many more women are now engineers in Kenya. pic.twitter.com/74ttUQiI2D

— Raila Odinga (@RailaOdinga) August 16, 2024

Raila’s competitors 

In his bid to clinch the AUC chairmanship position, Raila is facing competition from Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssou, former Mauritius Foreign Minister  Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and disgraced former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato.

The candidates will initially face a panel for interviews, which will constitute Burundian academic Paul Ngarambe, Ethiopian diplomat Konjit SineGiorgis, Patrick Hayford of Ghana and Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko from South Africa.

The panellists will seek to know the candidates’ vision for Africa and assess their qualifications to lead the continental body.

The four candidates from the Eastern Africa region are seeking to succeed the current chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has held the position since 2017.

In March, the  African Union Executive Council decided that the next AUC chairperson would come from the Eastern Africa region.

The decision also provides that the Northern Africa region will front candidates for the Deputy Chairperson while the other three regions, Central, Southern and Western, will compete for the six positions of commissioners.