Draft rules pushing for women candidates could lock Raila Odinga out of top AUC job
Veteran opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga speaks to the media in Nairobi, Kenya as he formally declared his interest in the African Union Commission chairmanship on February 15, 2024. PHOTO | NMG
Law drafters at the African Union are making another bid that could lock out Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga by proposing to restrict the next race for the Commission chairperson’s seat to female contenders.
Mr Odinga is the Kenya government-endorsed candidate to replace Chadian diplomat Moussa Faki Mahamat. But a proposal circulated to member states on Tuesday says only female contenders should be eligible in the next contest, even though the seat will be rotating to the Eastern Africa region.
