Former Prime Minister
Raila Odinga will take to the ballot against Djibouti's Mohamoud Youssouf and Madagascar's Richard J. Randriamandrato in the race to replace
the outgoing African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki.
As the 55 Heads of State from African Union member states, including President William Ruto converge to deliberate on a number of issues, Kenya will have a close eye on the proceedings with Key interest in Mr. Odinga’s chances.
The Addis Ababa polls present Kenya with a rare opportunity to rise to the apex of the continental affairs.
It is good to see all senior leaders including the immediate former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka rally behind the country’s undisputed political enigma.
Those who have followed this through the lenses of Kenyan local politics may miss the gist and the essence of having Mr. Odinga clinch victory in Addis Ababa.
Forget the unnecessary noise and tribal bigotry being thrown towards Odinga’s bid; clearly this is out of political immaturity and lack of diplomatic and continental knowledge on the importance of having your very own take charge of the continent’s biggest administrative body.
As ably put by Prime
Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya stands to gain significantly if Odinga
wins because the victory extends beyond merely enhancing the nation’s
image in the international arena.
One of the most obvious take home is that Raila’s much-expected victory will boost Kenya’s position in the continent, at a time President William Ruto has elevated the country’s position on key issues like climate change and credit rating for Africa.
However, one of the biggest benefits that not so many people have thought of, is the fact that Kenya will have to behave herself; uphold the principles of good governance by enhancing democracy and adhering to the rule of law.
This is ably so because there is no way Kenya will have produced the AUC chairperson and be the country that breaks the code of ethics expected of member states.
We must take note of the fact that the African Union Commission (AUC) acts as the executive/administrative branch or secretariat of the African Union (and is somewhat analogous to the European Commission).
It consists of a number of commissioners dealing with different areas of policy. The African Union Headquarters are in Addis Ababa.
The African Union through its own declaration recognises that democracy and peace are both prerequisites for sustainable human development.
The mutually reinforcing interlinkages between democracy and peace in Africa are indisputable.
However, support for democracy and sustainable peace in some African countries is hindered by protracted and violent conflicts, including civil wars.
The AU has set itself aspirational goals on this issue, stating that ‘by 2020 all guns will be silent. A culture of peace and tolerance shall be nurtured in Africa’s children and youth through peace education’ (AU Commission 2015: 32).
In its mission of democracy promotion and peacebuilding, the AU has built an expansive and robust normative framework, coupled with mechanisms and institutions to implement this framework.
Unlike the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Charter (1963), which embraced the doctrine of non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States, the AU Constitutive Act (2000) embraces a new doctrine of non-indifference to human rights abuses within the territory of AU Member States.
This doctrinal shift has emboldened the AU in its democracy-promotion and peacebuilding mandate, especially in fragile and conflict-affected states.
This saw Africa arrive at the formation of the African Union Commission, Agenda 2063: streamlining and making the Africa we want.
There is no better placed African leader than Raila Odinga, who is well positioned to take the implementation of these key policy decisions other than Raila Odinga.
The African Union Commision as the secretariat of AU has created the Department for Political Affairs,which has a strong mandate on democracy support, the promotion of human rights and humanitarian affairs.
The Department is increasingly focusing on the prevention of election[1]related violence and conflicts, and implements preventive actions throughout all stages of the electoral cycle in order to address the root causes of election-related conflicts in Africa.
This means that Mr.Odinga will be demanding that his motherland Kenya sets the pace and the much needed good example to the rest of the AU member states. In the process, Kenya will gain a lot in terms of stability and economic growth.
The writer is a criminologist, security expert and communication consultant
