Here is what you need to know to get up to speed with today’s happenings.
Launch of Raila’s AUC chairmanship bid
President William Ruto is set to officially launch Raila Odinga’s African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship bid on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, ahead of the February 2025 elections.
The bid marks a significant moment in African politics for the former Prime Minister with a section of the East African Community (EAC) heads of State expected to grace his grand unveiling.
On Monday, August 26, 2024, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi intensified Raila’s campaigns for the AUC’s chairmanship.
Speaking during the Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD-9) Ministerial, Mudavadi said that the anticipated official launch will intensify the campaigns for Raila, which have been ongoing across Africa and that nothing will be left to chance to ensure Kenya clinches the seat.
“President Ruto will not be announcing only to the Kenyan people but also significantly to the continent and the international community at large that the official candidate for Kenya in the AUC race is none other than Raila Amolo Odinga,” Mudavadi said in Tokyo.
“Because largely these campaigns will call for foreign engagement, we will have to go full blast as soon as the official launch on Tuesday, and naturally the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which I head, will be very pivotal in undertaking this exercise.”
The ODM party leader will need at least 32 votes to clinch the AUC chairmanship with 48 African Presidents expected to cast their votes.
Katiba Day protest
A section of Kenyan human rights activists and youths are anticipated to hold a fresh street countrywide protest today to mark 14 years of the constitution, continuing the wave of anti-government demos that started in June 2024.
While announcing the planned peaceful protests during a press briefing on August 26, 2024, the protesters insisted that the demos were aimed at addressing a range of issues including, cases of abduction, forced disappearing, corruption, extrajudicial killing, economic hardship and high unemployment among the youth.
Led by the chairperson of the People’s Assembly Booker Omolo, the group is also protesting to demand justice, democracy and freedom under President Willliam Ruto’s administration and his immediate resignation.
“August 27, 2024, Katiba Day will not just be a day of commemoration it will be a day, will be a day of mass action we are announcing a general strict protest against the tyranny of William Ruto and a demand for his immediate resignation we will not rest until justice is done,” Booker Omolo said.
