President Yoweri Museveni has joined other leaders in East Africa to support Raila Odinga’s campaign for the African Union Chairmanship. The veteran Kenyan politician, Raila Odinga is competing for the African Union (AUC) post against Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssou, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, and Richard James Randriamandrato, a former Madagascar Foreign Minister.
Museveni joined other leaders in Nairobi as Kenyan opened the official campaigns for the AUC chairperson’s seat.
Raila Odinga was nominated by Kenya for the seat of the African Union elections to be held in February next year.
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Raila is seen as not only the representative of Kenya but for the entire East Africa. He will replace Moussa Faki Mahamat if he wins the contest.
Rail Odinga promised to work with the leader in the region and make the African Union more people-centered. “African people should feel the AU in their lives,” he said.
He pledged to use the transition period to critically analyze the existing proposals for reforms, and build the capacity of the African Union.
Raila, commonly referred to as Baba in Kenya pledged to work with the leader to integrate the entire continent of Africa.
He noted that Africa still grapples with emerging challenges and vulnerabilities including identity conflicts and wars, hunger, poverty, violent extremism, and acute unemployment among the youth.
Museveni said Uganda is backing Raila Odinga because he is a convinced Pan-Africanist. He said Raila Odinga is not a job seeker. He equated Raila Odinga to a point’s man who should lead Africa in the battle to prosperity.
Museveni revealed that Mahmoud Ali Youssou of Djibouti had approached him but he told him that Raila Odinga is a candidate who is fit for the African Union job.
“Therefore, I’m very happy to come here to support on behalf of Uganda. Before I came here, there was a young man from Djibouti. He came. I normally see him as a Minister. He told me that he was a candidate for Djibouti. Of course, I treated him well, we took photographs. I actually told him that I was coming here to support Raila”
Other leaders who attended included the EAC chairperson and South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan Rwanda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs James Kabarebe, and Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca are also present. Also present was the former Presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.