Azimio leader Raila Odinga during a press briefing in Nairobi on March 8, 2024.
The campaigns for Mr Raila Odinga’s quest for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC) have gone “full-throttle”, with a key meeting scheduled with the Presidency.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on Monday, August 19, told the Nation that a campaign calendar has since been drawn and a secretariat established to drive the campaigns.
“We are running full throttle,” Dr Sing’oei said.
He spoke as Mr Odinga’s strategists revealed that a campaign secretariat has been established in Kilimani area, Nairobi, to act as Mr Odinga’s campaign nerve centre.
“We are also working on the budget and the finance matters to be finalised this week,” said Kenya’s former ambassador to the United States Mr Elkanah Odembo, who is among Mr Odinga’s strategists.
He said that a key coordination meeting will take place this week, involving the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the Presidency and the candidate.
“We have agreed to have a seasoned diplomat who will be dedicated full-time to the campaign as our point person.
“We now know that as Kenya, we are up against Djibouti, Mauritius and Madagascar, all Francophone, and therefore major implications for our campaign,” Mr Odembo said.
Mr Odinga is facing Djibouti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Youssouf, ex-Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and ex-Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato.
“Mauritius and Madagascar are from the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region, and therefore there is work to do in the region.
“Our strategy is to ensure that Kenya enrols not just the full support of the East African Community, but that EAC resolves to make the campaign a regional one,” added Mr Odembo.
He said that Mr Odinga’s team was well aware of the Djibouti challenge.
“Djibouti is a country strategically located in the Horn of Africa, and there is global competition over Djibouti. As a port State, Djibouti has some eight overseas military bases...including the US and France.
“The Horn of Africa security is declining as a result of these overseas interests. We are fully aware of this, and are factoring the same in our campaign,” the former envoy said.
He indicated that the team will continue with visits to Kigali, Brazzaville and Kinshasa.
“Our recent visits there are not one-off visits. The campaign will continually engage with these capitals to ensure that we not only have their respective support but that we need them to campaign for Kenya, Raila Odinga and EAC in their respective spheres of influence.”
