Ruto: East Africa has settled on Raila for AU job

President William Ruto yesterday announced that the entire East Africa Community will front one candidate  for the African Union chairmanship (AUC) elections set for next year.

Addressing the third sitting of the third session of the fifth East African Legislative Assembly  (EALA), Ruto revealed that he has been in consultation  with leaders  of Member States to nominate one candidate who will succeed outgoing chairperson Moussa Faki.

He said  that the talks have been fruitful as the leaders have agreed with him to front one candidate to be able to secure the seat.

The  East African Community (EAC) Member States are the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia,   South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.

He said: "The chair of the AU is becoming vacant next year as the term of Moussa Faki, our current chair, comes to an end. It is going to be the turn for East Africa to provide the chair for the African Union."

He added: "We have consulted as Heads of State from the East Africa Community and we have agreed to sponsor one candidate as East Africans because that is the strength of our community; that we can do things  together. It speaks to the spirit of leadership that is being provided by our region."

Ruto's address  was immediately followed by a statement   of the Azimio la Umoja summit which reiterated its support for Railas candidature.

In a statement read by Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, the coalition said it is in the best interest of the country and the East African Community that Raila takes the seat.

The coalition also welcomed the meeting and the efforts by the country to back

Raila as the matter at hand is not a partisan political issue but a matterof national pride and image.

Reads the statement:  "To this end,  we very much appreciate the support  of our neighboursand those from across the con• tinent have extended to Rt. Hon. Odinga. We are also  encouraged  by the personal effortsby the Party Leader to win the seat without relying entirely on the endorse• ment by the state and we all committed to reach out to friends and fellow leaders out there in support of our leader's bid."

It adds:  "In  that regard, as we support Mr. Odinga for the AU, we will also  support the rightof Kenyans to affordable living, lower taxes and a functional economy that guarantees decent livelihoods."

His sentiments come just days after the government announced that it is fronting Raila to head theAUC position.

Last week,  Ruto met  with  Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who endorsed Raila'  candidature saying he will be supporting him.

Museveni posted on his twitter account: "I was happy to meet President Ruto and Rt. Hon. Odinga at my farm in Kisozi this afternoon. We discussed issues of mutual interest between our two countries. I wel• come them."

Raila explained that Ruto was in Uganda to discuss oil issues with Museveni, while he (Raila) was there to seek Museveni's support  in his bid for the African Union (AU) Commission  chairmanship.

"Let me respond to some issues being raised.  I am not going anywhere, I  am around. I have been running around try• ing to  get support  from different heads of state. I was in Namibia the other day. I went to the Presidentof Ugandaafter I had talked to him to go and ask for his support. We met there with Ruto who had also gone there to talk about issues they are having with oil, the G to G," Raila stated.

He added: "I am not going away. Addis Ababa is only two hours away from Nairobi. I am available, whenever I am called,

I will answer. I am ready to work with you people. We must ensure whatwe set out to do is eventually achieved."

The opposition chief declared his candidacy for the position  on February  15, 2024, where he insisted  that he was the right  candidate  for the AU Commission chairmanship due to his experience  in leadership.

He said: "Today, I want to make it public that I am ready to go fort he chairmanship of the Africa Union.  I am ready and offer myself to be of service to this African content when called upon. I believe that Africa is playing in a league that it should not play in and that it deserves better,"

Suitable candidates are required to have a Master's degree in a wide range of academic fields including Law, International Relations,  Economics, Diplomacy, Management, Business Administration,   Political Science, Social Sciences or a closely related field from a recognised institution. And during the EALA sittings, Ruto also took the opportunity and challenged the assembly to lay a strong foundation  for East Africa to rnake a transformative contribution  to Pan-African integration and the emergence of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)as the next hub of global investment, trade and industry.

In order to do this, he said they need to complete the implementation  of all  the pillars  of EAC integration, and equally, critically align the integration agenda  with the broader African transformational paradigm under Africa.

He said:  "We must  provide  a strong framework for achieving rapid  leap-frogging and the development of sustainable competitive advantage in emerging hi-tech fields like the digital  economy in general, and artificial intelligence, automation, robotics and machine learning, in order to stay ahead of both threats and opportunities that will continue to unfold in a rapidly digitising global economy."

He added: "Peace, stability and security must  remain our foremost  concern  because they are the foundations that underlie all pursuit of growth, development and prosperity. A peaceful, stable  and secure East Africa is a competitive and prosperous East Africa.

Ruto in his address also announced that Kenya will be hosting  this year's World Bank Group's International  Development Association ODA) Summit in April 2024.

At this event, he said, African leaders will articulate  a strong case for an ambitious and robust 21st replenishment of the IDA, which is the largest source of development assistance,  and donor funding for basic social services for the world's75 low income countries,   to support  economic transformation  in Africa and throughout the Global south.

He said: "East Africa will therefore have the  opportunity to witness  from close quarters and contribute to important deliberations  with critical implications  for our growth and development ..... I have invited my fellow Heads of State and Government to participate  in  this highly  important platform."