Raila Odinga To Meet Over 30 African Presidents In China As He Steps Up His AUC Bid

• Raila Odinga is in the company of President William Ruto, who is attending the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing, China
• A former prime minister of Kenya, Raila will be meeting with the African heads of state on the sidelines of the summit
• Raila is seeking support for his African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship, whose vote will be taken in early 2025

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Kenya's former prime minister, Raila Odinga, is expected to leverage his company with President William Ruto in China to drum up support for his African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship bid.

Raila is part of Ruto's envoy attending the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing.

Why Raila is in China with Ruto

The summit would bring together African heads of state, Chinese leaders and the African Union Commission to discuss and strengthen Sino-African relations.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei said Raila will be seeking to capitalise on the sidelines of the summit on September 5, when he will meet with the African heads of state in attendance, perhaps to familiarise them with his bid and vision for the continent.

"We have 30 plus heads of state from Africa and 40 plus Ministers of Foreign Affairs in China as we speak...While in China, Raila will primarily seek to understand the areas of potential partnership and make contacts with the key actors who manage AU-China relations. Partnership is an integral part of the AUC chairman’s job.

He’s not in China to lobby but will accompany the president at the state banquet hosted by President Xi for African leaders tomorrow evening. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Summit on September 5. He is expected to meet select African heads of state with the president," said Sing'oei.

Sing'oei is among the people Ruto charged with spearheading Raila's campaign for the continental post.

The former prime minister has already outlined eight priority areas pertinent to the continent, promising to address the challenges faced by Africans conclusively.

If elected, Raila promised to focus his mandate on Africa's economic transformation, intra-African trade, financial independence, agricultural transformation, gender equity and equality, climate action, continental integration, and peace and security.

Where will next AUC chairman come from?

As previously reported, the next AUC chairperson is set to come from East Africa following a decision by the AU Executive Council.

Countries from Northern Africa will produce the deputy chairperson, with the remainder regions; Central, Southern and Western Africa producing the six commissioners.

The Kenyan candidate will need support either by consensus or at least a two-thirds majority vote by member states represented by their heads.

Nairobi has charged itself with selling Raila's bid, allocating resources to crisscross the continent to court support from the African heads of state who constitute the General Assembly which will take the vote in February next year.

Which African presidents are supporting Raila?

Besides Kenya, other countries whose heads have declared their support for Raila are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi, Seychelles, Ghana, South Sudan, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Algeria, and Congo.

He recently announced ditching the local politics to focus on the bid.

The veteran politician will face off with Djbouti's Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato, and Mauritius's Anil Gayan.

While at the AUC, if elected, Raila would observe the code of conduct for the chairmanship, where the office holder ought to take a back seat in their country's politics and, at the same time, be neutral in the African socio-political standings.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke