Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, Raila Odinga made his bid to become the next African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson official.
The bid was submitted by the State Department for Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei and a host members from Raila’s secretariat, in Addis Ababa, on Monday.
The development cleared the air on the government's commitment to Raila's candidature after weeks of speculations sparked by anti-government protests.
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.
Following the submission, a few steps still remain for Raila to actualise his ambition to become the AU Commission boss.
To ensure that candidates are chosen on merit and not solely through deal-making between states and regions, the African Union decided to set up a panel of eminent persons who will vet candidates and draw up a shortlist.
This is the step that currently awaits all who have submitted their bids for the AUC chairmanship.
A Panel of Eminent Africans, composed of five personalities, one per region, were appointed in February 2024 to oversee the pre-selection of candidatures for the eight positions.
The step that follows is the AUC chairmanship candidates participating in the Africa Leadership Debate dubbed Mjadala Afrika. This is a televised debate which shall be broadcast live to African citizens in which they shall present their visions and ideas on the implementation of Agenda 2063.
Details about the debate venue and dates will be communicated in due course.
The election will then be held via secret ballot.
The Assembly of Heads of State and Government elects the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, while the Ministerial Executive Council elects the Commissioners, who are then appointed by the Assembly.
The elections will take place in February 2025 during the African Union Summit.
All the eight senior leadership positions of the AU Commission are open for candidates’ submissions guided by the regional allocation of the portfolios.
The positions include that of the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson, and six Commissioner posts.
The February 2025 election process will be based on the principle of inter-regional rotation