With the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship election scheduled for February 2025, Raila Odinga has intensified his campaign across the continent. Raila Odinga in a meeting with CAR president Faustin-Archange Touadéra in Bangui. Three candidates are vying for the coveted position: Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti, and Richard J. Randriamandrato from Madagascar.
During the recent Mjadala Africa debate, all candidates shared their vision and mission for the continent. Raila, widely praised by his supporters, reportedly emerged as a strong contender. Many ranked him as the best and expressed optimism about his chances in the competitive election. Raila has been engaging heads of state of Africa to outline his vision for the AU.
What did Raila, Touadéra discuss in Bangui meeting? On Wednesday, December 18, he visited the Central African Republic (CAR), a significant Francophone base, where he met President Faustin-Archange Touadéra in Bangui. Their meeting revolved around bolstering his bid to lead the African Union Commission.
“Thank you, H.E. Faustin Archage Touadera, President of the Central African Republic, for hosting me in Bangui to share my vision for Africa as I continue my campaign for the African Union Commission Chairmanship,” he said. He was accompanied by Sports Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, whose presence has been lauded by many Kenyans as a show of solidarity.
A shared photo from the meeting captured Kipchumba’s apparent joy, reflecting Kenya’s firm support for Raila’s candidacy. Which countries has Raila visited? As the polls draw near, the former prime minister has visited more than seven states to ramp up efforts to secure the backing of the nation’s heads of state. He traversed West Africa, including Ghana, Togo, and Cote d’Ivoire. According to a statement by a member of his campaign team, Pauline Njoroge, Raila was received in Benin by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Olushegun Abjadi Bakari.
by Nancy Odindo
