National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has clarified that the decision of President William Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza administration to support Raila Odinga’s bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship is not a deliberate attempt to remove the veteran opposition leader from Kenyan politics. Wetangula emphasized that Raila’s exceptional leadership skills make him a valuable candidate for the position, and the government views him as the right choice for the role.

During the opening of an IT hub at Mathanga Seminary in Bungoma County on Saturday, March 2, 2024, Wetangula stated, “Let’s make it very clear we are not supporting Raila to be the next AU chair because we want to exit him from Kenya, we are taking him because he is capable of being the chairman of the African Union.” He further explained that Raila’s candidacy is a state project, and the government is committed to deploying all its resources to secure him the AU Commission chairmanship, currently held by Chad’s Moussa Faki.

Wetangula assured that the government has already decided to support Raila as its candidate, and he pledged to campaign for Raila across the continent. “We are going to put on our jogging shoes to make sure we rotate around Africa to campaign for Raila to make sure he will be the next chairman of the African Union,” he affirmed.

The Azimio la Umoja principals, including President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance party, have declared their support for Raila’s AU bid. This endorsement was part of the agenda discussed during the meeting between President William Ruto, his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, and Raila earlier in the week.

Adding to the growing support, Martha Karua’s Narc Kenya party announced their endorsement of Raila Odinga’s bid for the AU chairmanship. Karua stated, “As a party, we support Raila Odinga’s bid for the AU chairmanship, and we believe every patriotic Kenyan should support that bid. His win is a win for Kenya.”

Amid speculations that Raila might exit Kenyan politics if successful in his AU bid, the ODM party leader dismissed such notions, asserting that he has no plans of leaving the political scene. However, emerging political camps within the Azimio la Umoja coalition are positioning themselves for potential leadership roles should the veteran leader step back from active politics.