On Saturday, February 15, the election for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC) will occur, drawing everyone’s attention to Addis Ababa.
The event will attract the interest of Kenyans especially because Raila Odinga, one of the country’s most esteemed politicians and opposition leader, is vying for the position of new AUC chair.
Odinga will, however, find it challenging to take on Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Yousouff (MAY) and Madagascar’s Richard J. Randriamandrato—two exceptional individuals with highly commendable leadership credentials.
Should Raila win the AUC election, he will become the first Kenyan to achieve this prestigious continental position.
Ida Odinga recently asserted in a prayer session that Raila is the first Kenyan to run for the position, but this is incorrect, as another Kenyan had attempted it before.
Amina Mohamed lost to Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chad’s Foreign Affairs Minister, in 2017; however, her defeat alone does not provide a complete picture. The election persisted through seven additional rounds, despite a narrow lead of 16 votes secured in the first round, due to the requirement of a two-thirds majority for a winner to be announced.
In the seventh round, Faki won the contest by receiving 38 votes, which surpassed the necessary two-thirds threshold.
As per the ambassadors of that period, Kenya was unsuccessful in its attempts to persuade some of its closest East African allies to cast their votes for Amina.
Having held the positions of Chad’s Prime Minister from 2003 to 2005 and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2017, Faki brought considerable experience to the role. He had also occupied prestigious international roles, chairing the African Union Peace and Security Council in September 2013 and the UN Security Council in December 2015.
South Sudan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, James Morgan, provided intriguing observations about the race at that time, asserting that countries such as Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, and Tanzania did not support Kenya during critical phases.
Uhuru Kenyatta, who was President at the time, was criticized for departing from the AU complex shortly after the vote without interacting with other leaders present or the media. Analysts suggested that this move negatively impacted Kenya’s chances of securing the seat.
Four years after Amina Mohamed’s defeat, Kenya received another opportunity for a continental position with the nomination of Justice William Ouko for the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Judgeship. Nevertheless, he was not elected to the court in the end.
There is a wave of optimism surrounding the upcoming AU election for several reasons, despite Kenya’s past failures. Odinga is enjoying much greater popularity and support across the continent than figures like Mohamed and Ouko, unlike in past attempts.
