Raila Odinga’s gruelling continental campaign was driven by nine top brains aided by Kenyan diplomats abroad and the country’s intelligence agencies, the Star can report.
Operating behind the scenes, the nine-member politburo did the heavy lifting pushing Raila’s candidature against established diplomats whom he faced in the election.
Their task was no ordinary one: they were leading one of the most complex and delicate diplomatic offensives to galvanise governments behind Raila.
Seasoned diplomat Elkana Odembo and Foreign Affairs PS Sing’oei Korir were in charge of the nine-member technical team.
Other members were Prof Makau Mutua, former Igad executive secretary Mahboub Maalim, lawyer Anthony Okara, former Nyeri deputy governor Nancy Karugu and digital strategist Pauline Njoroge.
This team’s efforts were bolstered by Kenyan missions and the country’s intelligence officers across the region. Through their efforts, Raila visited 29 countries over the past one year.
The panel, however, kept a low profile most of the time, but were occasionally seen with Raila during some of his continental tours.
Foreign policy analyst Gordon K’achola termed the team the best a country can assemble for any high-profile diplomatic assignment like the African Union Commission chairman bid.
“In crafting the campaign secretariat, President William Ruto was keen in effective campaign strategy that has diplomatic acuity and presence, hence the selection of stalwarts like former Igad executive secretary Mahboub Maalim who has diplomatic, geopolitical and technical finesse in Africa and beyond,” K’achola said.
“No good team wins matches with a bad coach and a bad technical bench. The bringing of legal minds like Prof Makau Mutua, financial specialist and former Nyeri deputy governor Caroline Karugu, and data and security expert Raymond Omollo, who is the Principal Secretary for Ministry of Interior and National Administration, demonstrated the seriousness with which the President took up Odinga’s campaign.”
This was the second time Kenya was taking aim at the influential post, having lost to outgoing Moussa Faki of Chad in 2017.
Kenya then had Amina Mohammed, who was heading the Foreign Affairs docket. According to K’achola, Amina’s bid was unsuccessful because of lack of old hands in the campaign team and Kenya’s approach in courting other heads of state.
“Unlike Amina’s bid that largely lacked diplomatic heavyweights, Odinga’s campaigns were literally handed over to the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs ministry to shoulder, led by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, diplomatic leviathans of our time Ambassador Elkanah Odembo and Ambassador Anthony Okara,” he said.
But Machakos deputy governor Francis Mwangi – a PhD student on international relations – while lauding the work done by the team told the Star that more old hands ought to have been included.
Mwangangi singled out former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, who could have complemented the team with his regional networks and diplomatic prowess.
“I think they have done their bit as per their plan, since it is about the country. I wish when Raila and the country decided they would go for that seat they brought in serious diplomats like former Vice President Kalonzo and others who bring even warlords together,” Mwangangi told the Star.
It was during Kalonzo’s tenure at Foreign Affairs that Kenya’s foreign policy ensured regional peace and stability. That came with mediation in the Horn of Africa – Sudan and South Sudan as well as Somalia.
Before being appointed PS, Sing’oei was senior legal advisor to then Deputy President Ruto. Among his roles then was to provide counsel and guidance on intergovernmental relations and coordination of international development partnerships.
Ambassador Odembo is a distinguished diplomat who served as Kenya’s envoy to the United States of America.
The envoy has been the face of Raila’s diplomatic endeavors dating from when the ex-PM served AU as High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa.
University don Mutua, a professor at the SUNY Buffalo School of Law, was head of Raila’s campaign team in the 2022 election.
He has been on the campaign trail with Raila, accompanying the former premier during meetings with the presidents and heads of government.
Okara is a lawyer, a diplomat and international civil servant and has been actively engaged in multilateral assignments and public reforms for decades in Kenya and the region.
Another key figure in the secretariat was Mahboub Maalim, the
longest serving executive secretary
at Intergovernmental Authority on
Development where he was voted in
for two terms, serving from 2008 to
2019.
