Kenya has formally submitted ODM leader Raila Odinga's bid for African Union Chairmanship seat.
Foreign affairs PS Korir Singo'ei Monday said the government has presented the requisite documentation of Kenya's nominee for the Chairmanship to the Dean of Eastern Region.
"Under the authority of the Government of Kenya and as per the Statutes and Rules of the African Union Commission, we have today formally submitted requisite documentation of Kenya's nominee for the Chairmanship of AfricanUnion, H.E. Raila Amolo Odinga, to the Dean of Eastern Region, H.E. Dharmraj Busgeeth, Ambassador of Mauritius," Singo'ei said on X.
Present during the submission of the bid is Raila's close ally Makau Mutua and Kenya's ambassador to Addis Ababa George Orina.
On Saturday Singo'ei shared a snippet of the bundle of documents containing Raila's application.
The latest development clears the air on the government's commitment to Raila's candidature after weeks of speculations sparked by anti-government protests.
The developments happened after President Ruto nominated some of Raila's allies into the Cabinet in what was seen as a political pact between the two.
The African Union Commission has set August 6 as the deadline for the submission of the candidacy of the various hopefuls seeking to succeed Moussa Faki.
Kenya is racing against time to officially nominate Raila for the AUC post.
The government missed its June 30 deadline, attributing its delay to the protests witnessed in the country by groups of young people.
The government formed a joint campaign secretariat to help Raila in his bid two weeks ago.
The joint secretariat brings together strategy and campaign teams from Raila's camp and the government's side.
The secretariat will be domiciled at the Railways Building which houses the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi.
President William Ruto’s government has promised to pull out all the stops to ensure Raila secures the highly coveted seat that would catapult him to the stature of head of state.
In a communiqué issued by the Office of the Legal Council in May, the AUC said each candidate for the position of chairperson would be required to submit a curriculum vitae(CV) in six languages.
Besides English, the other languages include Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Kiswahili.
