Inside State’s Big Plan for Raila Odinga’s Bid for AU Chairmanship
The administration is establishing a dedicated campaign headquarters and allocating a substantial budget to back Azimio leader Raila Odinga’s candidacy for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship. This preparation comes before the formal submission of his candidacy, scheduled for April 15th.
Running for top-tier global roles frequently requires substantial expenditure on diplomatic efforts, travel arrangements, promotional endeavors, and lobbying initiatives.
In 2017, Kenya expended Sh437.7 million in an unsuccessful attempt to secure the position via former Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.
Information presented to Parliament revealed that a total of Sh437,776,982 was utilized during the campaigns, surpassing the designated confidential expenditure limit of Sh52,095,299.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had allocated a budget of Sh385,681,683 for expenses associated with the campaigns.
Gossipa2z.com has reported that the government, along with Mr. Odinga’s key advisors, is setting up a secretariat to manage his campaigns. This center will serve as the hub for coordinating various activities involving significant players such as the presidency, the candidate and his team, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, and Eastern Africa’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei has verified intentions to set up a campaign secretariat and formulate a budget for the nation’s pursuit of the African Union Commission (AUC).
When questioned about whether the government was pursuing that direction, he replied with a definite “yes.”
Mr. Odinga’s campaign team has devised a comprehensive campaign schedule consisting of three main components: a short-term plan, a medium-term plan, and a grand strategy, in preparation for the February 2025 elections.
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Elkanah Odembo, the ex-Kenyan ambassador to the United States and a strategist for Mr. Odinga, has confirmed that efforts are underway to establish a complete secretariat and formulate a detailed budget for steering his campaigns, in collaboration with the government.
He refrained from disclosing the campaign budget right away, stating that discussions regarding the secretariat and budget were planned for later in the week.
The ex-diplomat outlined a strategic plan comprising three key phases. One of these phases, lasting around four to six weeks, aims to garner backing from all 16 Heads of State and Governments in the Eastern Africa region.
“The goal of the medium-term period of between July and August 2024 is to secure the support and endorsement of the majority of Heads of State and Governments of the Southern, Western, Northern, and Central Africa regions,” Mr Odembo told Nation in an interview yesterday.
The grand strategy, which he noted is the overall winning plan “involves the presidency contacting individual Heads of State and Governments to solicit support for Kenya and the candidate visiting each Heads of State and Governments to secure their blessings.”
President William Ruto, along with Mr. Odinga and high-ranking Ministry of Foreign Affairs representatives led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and PS Sing’oei, have been working diligently into the late hours, engaging with regional presidents to advocate for Kenya’s interests.
“Our overall goal is to win the elections in February 2025, by securing in the first round, the two-thirds of the member States eligible to vote,” Mr Odembo said.
He stressed that the African Union Executive Council’s unanimous agreement, affirming that it was Eastern Africa’s opportunity to propose the next chairperson of the AUC, initially paved the way for Mr. Odinga to contend for the prominent regional position.
“This decision removed the first major hurdle to the RAO campaign and, marked the beginning of the RAO campaign proper. The hard work now begins,” added Mr Odembo.
He mentioned that Mr. Odinga’s candidacy will be officially submitted to the Office of the Legal Counsel of the AU by April 15th.
Following the AU Executive Council’s resolutions, Mr. Mudavadi said that; “effectively, there are no more technical or legal hurdles preventing Kenya from submitting its candidate.”
The campaign team, Mr Odembo noted, is also conducting an early status check of AU members ‘likely to be early supporters.’
Inside State’s Big Plan for Raila Odinga’s Bid for AU Chairmanship
