Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has been ousted from the race for Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).
In the election held on Saturday, February 15, Raila was eliminated in the sixth round, marking Kenya’s second unsuccessful attempt at clinching the influential continental seat.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti secured victory in the seventh round, earning 33 votes to become the seventh AUC Chairperson since the commission was formed in 2002.
Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar finished last. Youssouf takes over from Moussa Faki, who completed two terms, and will serve for four years, with the option of running for re-election, allowing a maximum tenure of eight years.
Raila’s campaign team had asserted that he had the support of at least 21 countries, and he initially took the lead with 20 votes in the first few rounds.
He proceeded through the second, third, fourth, and fifth rounds before being eliminated. With President William Ruto’s backing, Raila toured several African nations, joining the head of state on diplomatic missions to rally support from fellow leaders.
This marks Kenya’s second failed attempt to secure the AU’s top leadership. In 2017, Amina Mohamed lost to Moussa Faki, despite garnering 16 votes in the first round.
Faki eventually triumphed in the seventh round, receiving 38 votes, while Kenya faced challenges in securing backing from its East African Community (EAC) allies, including Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi.
