East African Community (EAC) leaders gathered at State House, Nairobi, for the launch of Raila Odinga’s candidacy for chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC). Kenyan President William Ruto hosted the event, marking the start of Odinga’s campaign for the February 2025 election, where he aims to replace the outgoing chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat. Key attendees included EAC chairman and South Sudan President Salva Kiir, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs James Kabarebe, and Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca. Former Presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria also showed their support. Odinga is competing against Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssou, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, and Madagascar’s former Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato.
SOURCE: EAST AFRICAN
