AUC chair post: Ruto says Raila has Zimbabwe's support

Zimbabwe is the latest country to back Kenya's candidate, Raila Odinga, in his bid to take over as chair of the African Union Commission (AUC) next year, once Chadian Moussa Faki Mahamat's term expires. 

President Ruto secured the support after leaving the country on Friday for a two-day state visit to Zimbabwe, a tour aimed at bolstering political, economic and socio-cultural ties between the two countries. 

He made the announcement on Saturday in an address at the Bulawayo State House during bilateral talks with his counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

President @WilliamsRuto has arrived in Zimbabwe for a two-day State Visit.

He was received by his host President @edmnangagwa.

President Ruto will be the Chief Guest at the 64th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Saturday.

The tour is aimed at bolstering… pic.twitter.com/rdcSvjVlxe

— State House Kenya (@StateHouseKenya) April 26, 2024

Kenya's candidate in the AUC chair race is opposition chief Raila, leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

The country has presented its candidature for the AUC chair for the 2025–2028 period following a unanimous decision by the African Union Executive Council, reached on March 15, 2024, for the Eastern Africa region to submit contestors.

On Saturday, Ruto explained that his country's candidature was informed by its role in enhancing the Pan-African Agenda.

“I am assured that Kenya and Zimbabwe will persist in conferring and backing each other on a multitude of issues of bilateral, regional and continental significance alongside the African Union Agenda 2063,” he said.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is pictured with Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga in Karen, Nairobi, on February 15, 2024. (Photo: X/ODM)

Thus far, Raila's competition is Djibouti's Foreign minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and Somalia's former Foreign minister Fawzia Yusuf.

The opposition leader has already secured the backing of Rwanda and Uganda following Ruto's meetings with Presidents Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni, respectively, and also has the support of Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Angola.

Further, a motion passed by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) late in March expressed full support for Raila's bid, and he also has the endorsement of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Faysal Ali Warabe, a presidential candidate in this year's Somaliland poll, has also thrown his support behind Kenya’s former premier.

Ruto has toured several countries and met several leaders in his campaign for Raila and has assured Kenyans that East African nations will stand with the opposition chief.

What remains to be seen, however, is whether his efforts will pay off, given Kenya's record of failed lobbying attempts for notable candidates and an apparent lack of unity in the region.

Another factor that works for Raila is that African foreign ministers have dismissed the rotational gender requirement for the AUC post.

The gender proposal, recommended by the AU legal counsel, suggested that the next chairperson should be a woman, with a man serving as deputy. AU Permanent Representatives Committee rejected the recommendation that would have disqualified Raila and any other male candidates.

Presidents William Ruto (Kenya) and Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe) witness the signing of agreements by representatives from their countries at the Bulawayo State House in Zimbabwe on April 27, 2024. (Photo: PSC)

Nine MoUs

Kenya and Zimbabwe agreed not only on Raila's AUC candidature but also on cooperation in fields including transport, infrastructure, health, education, defence, and trade and investments, which saw them sign nine memoranda of understanding (MoUs).

They also agreed to leverage their rich history, socio-cultural, political and economic ties, as well as abundant natural resources, for the mutual benefit of their citizens.

In an address on Friday, President Ruto noted that the two countries have a deep understanding that underpins their mutual support over the years in diverse arenas.

“Based on this, I wish to declare Kenya’s unreserved support for Zimbabwe’s readmission to the Commonwealth and the African Union’s call for the immediate lifting of all illegal sanctions against the Republic of Zimbabwe,” he said during a banquet hosted in his honour at the Bulawayo State House.

The Kenyan leader further noted President Mnagangwa’s commitment to accelerating the development of energy, transport and communications infrastructure as enablers of trade and investment, productivity and efficiency, and, ultimately, rapid economic growth, as part of efforts for an economic turnaround.

“I further note your government’s decision to break new ground in monetary policy and inaugurate a new currency, backed by gold and other asset reserves, as compelling proof of your irrevocable intent to usher in a new era of economic recovery and transformation,” Ruto told his counterpart.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa speaks at the Bulawayo State House in Zimbabwe on April 27, 2024, during bilateral talks with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto. (Photo: PSC)

In his address, President Mnangagwa emphasised the need for investors to exploit opportunities in the two countries.

He said Zimbabwe will forever be grateful to Kenya for standing resolutely with his country, particularly in the removal of the sanctions.

“We have a common and rich liberation war history and a shared vision for prosperity, peace and progress. As we look into the future, we must now leverage the current social, political and economic ties as well as natural endowments for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples,” he said.

He added, “We are on course to attain our national Vision 2030 to become an empowered upper-middle-income economy. The reforms undertaken since the inception of the Second Republic have seen a conducive business environment, which has in turn increased both local and foreign investments across all sectors."