AU bid was my plan not Ruto; Raila
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Raila Odinga says the plan to run for African Union Commission chairperson position (AU) was his plan but not for Ruto
Raila Odinga says the plan to run for African Union Commission chairperson position (AU) was his plan but not for Ruto.
Speaking on Tuesday during Azimio Summit, Raila was ‘forced’ to explain circumstances under which he declared his intention to contest for the position of the African Union Commission chairperson without informing his peers in the opposition.
The leader of the Azimio party was hard-pressed to explain how he and President William Ruto came to a “sort of a handshake” and secured the government’s backing for the run at a heated meeting—the first since Raila announced his candidacy.
Reliable reports from several sources revealed how Raila seized the opportunity to allay rumors that had shaken his alliance on his decision to run for AUC chairperson without consulting his other principles.
In the four-hour meeting described by those who attended as ‘tense’, Raila explained it was not President William Ruto who prodded him to vie, but former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo and their meeting with Ruto and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni was just a coincidence.
“He (Raila) informed us that he had arranged for a separate meeting with Museveni and that he only knew that Ruto would attend the meeting ‘after he got a tip from an intelligence officer from Kenya. He said he came directly from Namibia for a State funeral but Ruto was from Kenya accompanied by Energy CS David Chirchir to settle the oil issues with Uganda,” a close confidant who requested not to be named said.
“He said by the time they met in Mombasa, the issue of him vying for the AU had not cropped up and the former Nigeria President proposed to him to vie when they emerged for a presser indicating that he was ready for the candidacy,” said another source.
“He said Obasanjo, while on his way to Addis Ababa, passed by and Raila informed him that he is the best-placed person to lead the AUC as it needed a politician for it to link better with African countries and that was the reason why he had not informed us. By the time he announced things happened faster than he anticipated a move that left him with no time to inform us,” another source told The Standard.
According to Raila, he is not assured of the seat as Madagascar and Morroco have fielded candidates and hence the issue of succession should be toned down,” a source said.
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Raila, our sources added, further informed the crisis meeting that he had held separate meetings with Azimio chairperson and former President Uhuru Kenyatta and told him about his intentions and that he had agreed to support his bid by talking it to former African Heads of State.
He added that the East African countries have agreed to have him as their candidate.
The summit leaders urged Raila to tread with caution while dealing with President Ruto as he could set him up to fail with the purpose of beating him in his own game politically.
“We held the view that Ruto is a cunning politician who may purport to support him publicly but behind the scenes plot his downfall and reap politically by telling the masses that he has been rejected nationally and internationally,” a source said.
Another leader, who spoke at the summit, said “While leaders are publicly supporting his bid for the AU contest, Kenyans feel exposed to the punitive tax regime by the Ruto administration and they feel Raila has thrown them under the bus.”
The leaders told Raila that despite the fact that he was being sponsored by the State and despite their goodwill messages, they would continue criticising the Kenya Kwanza government by defending and fighting for the rights of the people.
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