Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has secured the support of at least 19 countries even as he embarks on an extensive cross-Africa campaign for the top continental job, the Star has established.
The details emerged as President William Ruto prepares to officially launch Raila’s campaign for Africa Union Commission chairman on Tuesday.
The race is seen as a major diplomatic trial for the President as it will test his influence among his peers across Africa.
Raila has also leveraged on his old networks to try to get the prestigious job that could elevate him to a near head of state, a status that has eluded him in five presidential runs.
With 19 countries backing his candidature, Raila needs only 15 more countries to get the job.
A candidate is required to garner votes from at least 34 countries to become the AUC boss.
However, the election is not a walk in the park and is influenced by many geopolitical intrigues.
There is also no binding agreement that a country that has pledged to back a candidate cannot change its mind.
The nations that have agreed to back Raila’s bid include DRC, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Burundi, Seychelles, Ghana, South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Algeria and the Republic of the Congo have also pledged to support Raila’s bid.
It is also believed that Raila has secured the support of Somalia after President Ruto met his counterpart, Hassan Mohamud.
The two leaders met recently in Rwanda on the sidelines of President Paul Kagame’s inauguration ceremony where they held talks believed to have been about Raila’s candidacy.
However, a communication by the Somalia President's office said their talks revolved around pressing security issues in the East Africa region.
The two leaders reaffirmed the enduring Somalia-Kenya partnership and fostering strong people-to-people relations.
"They expressed a mutual commitment to advancing regional peace, stability, and development, guided by shared values,” Villa Somalia said on X.
Somalia’s hopeful for the AU job, former Foreign Affairs minister Fawzia Yusuf, dropped her bid.
Recently, she was in Nairobi to endorse Raila’s candidature.
However, it emerged that she was made to drop her bid by her country following a request by Djibouti that is fielding a candidate for the seat.
Raila is facing off with Djibouti’s Mohamoud Youssouf, Anil Gayan (Mauritius) and Richard Randriamandrato (Madagascar) for the African Union Commission chairmanship.
The four seek to succeed the outgoing chairman Moussa Faki of Chad. The elections are scheduled for February next year.
The daring Djibouti candidate who came to campaign in Nairobi two weeks ago is seen as Raila’s biggest challenger.
He is multilingual and boasts fluency in English, French and Arabic — three key languages of the AU.
Raila is on the campaign trail with the solid support of his home country, Kenya.
President William Ruto has signalled that he would deploy all state machinery to help Raila’s campaign.
Ruto will next Tuesday launch Raila's candidacy in Nairobi, setting the stage for a cross-continental campaign.
A joint campaign secretariat consisting of Raila's team and government bureaucrats is already in place to strategise and spearhead the charm offensive.
"It is also programmed that next week, August 27, President William Ruto will be formally launching the candidacy of the Kenyan candidate in the name of Raila Odinga," Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced on Wednesday.
"Raila represents Kenya's voice, values and aspirations on the continent. As he steps forward, let us stand with him, not just as a government, but as a united people."
The ODM chief has already lined up a tight schedule that will see him traverse the globe and the continent to win more support for his bid.
“I am making every effort tapping on my experience, relationships and understanding of the continent to win support of as many nations as possible,” he said on Wednesday.
Later, Raila will head to Dakar, Senegal, where he is expected to pitch for his bid amongst the 15 countries in the influential ECOWAS bloc.
Next month, the former Prime Minister will attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where all heads of state and government will converge.
The UNGA is the largest annual gathering of global leaders in New York. The high-level summit runs from September 10 to 24.
It was not, however, clear if Odinga will be part of the 2024 summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6.
Raila’s spokesperson Dennis Onyango told the Star that Raila could not confirm if he will be attending the China summit.
Onyango, however, confirmed that Odinga will be part of the UN meeting in New York.
“September he (Raila) will be at the UN. I am not quite sure on whether he will attend the China summit; I have not seen it on our desk,” Onyango said on phone.
After the UNGA summit, Raila will escalate his vote-hunt to Bujumbura, where he will attend the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa heads of state and government summit.
The Comesa summit will take place on October 31, 2024. The bloc has 21 members.
In November, the opposition chief will be among participants at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP20) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Kenya's former ambassador to United States Elkanah Odembo told the Star early this month that Raila will in November be among the participants at COP20 in Baku.
Odembo said the opposition boss will hold roundtable meetings with major continental corporates to discuss, among other things, the opportunities in Africa.
“Before the end of the year, he must visit each of the regional economic communities. During those visits, he will also have business roundtables with corporate leaders to hear from them the challenges and opportunities for Africa's economic growth, trade and regional integration,” Odembo said.
He is among the top diplomats leading continental campaigns for Raila.
Ambassador Mahboub Maalim, who was the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and law professor Makau Mutua are part of Raila’s inner circle of lobbyists and campaigners.
From the government wing, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s Foreign Affairs ministry is leading the shuttle diplomacy across Africa to ensure Raila’s victor
Raila’s camp will team up with the government wing to mount aggressive campaigns around the continent.
The opposition chief is also leveraging on his old regional networks well as his vast experience of the continent in his vote-hunting mission.
Apart from playing mediation roles in some parts of the continent, Raila served as AU High Representative for Infrastructure for five years.
The position gave him an elevated viewpoint for understanding some of the challenges of the continent.
“As High Representative for the continent, that position gave me an inside picture of what is happening in Africa Union,” Raila said on Wednesday.
