Allies of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have threatened
to push for the withdrawal of Kenya from the African Union after losing elections
at the continental body.
Raila, who was Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Commission chairperson seat lost to Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Youssouf.
Youssouf was elected chairperson of AUC after securing 33 votes in the seventh round of voting
Raila faced Youssouf and Madagascar’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Randriamandrato in the elections.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma said he will petition the withdrawal of the East African Community (EAC) from the African Union.
EAC is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight partner states, comprising Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi said Kenya needs to rethink its financial commitments to the AU.
“In the short run, Kenya must now limit its financial commitments to AU and in the long run, exit,” he stated.
Narok Senator Ledama Olekina, while thanking President William Ruto for campaigning for Raila suggested that the AU should be split into two.
“Thank you President William Ruto for your effort. You did your best and we appreciate it. Now we must think of the future of Africa. Why not divide the African Union into two? Why not?” he posed.
The AUC chairperson is elected by member states, excluding countries under military rule.
A candidate must garner a two-thirds majority of the votes cast. An AUC chairperson is elected by the Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once.
The seat is held on a rotational basis among the five regions, and this time, the Eastern region was eligible to present a candidate while the Northern region presented a deputy chairperson.
With 49 heads of state partaking in the vote, the winner in Saturday’s election needed two-thirds of the total votes, totalling 33.
The election was held during the 38th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
