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 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.
