Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has expressed confidence that he will emerge victorious in Saturday’s race for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Raila is optimistic about his chances of replacing current Chairperson Moussa Faki, whose term is coming to an end, especially given the campaign effort behind his bid. The former Prime Minister stated that he is relying on the commitment of several heads of state he has reached out to.
“Viongozi wa Afrika waliniuliza niende niwe kiongozi wa bara la Afrika. Nikapiga moyo konde nikauliza, na kuhusu Kenya je? Wakasema Kenya iko ndani ya bara la Afrika. Nikasema niko tayari kujaribu hiyo kinyang’anyiro,” he explained.
“Mimi nimejitokeza. Nimeongea na viongozi wengi barani Afrika. Wakikubali, nitakuwa mwenyekiti wa baraza kuu la Umoja wa Afrika,” he said.
Speaking during a special prayer service organized by the ODM Women’s League to wish him well in the upcoming poll, Raila indicated that his candidacy for the AUC chairmanship is already an achievement, regardless of the election outcome.
“Naamini kwa mapenzi ya Mwenyezi Mungu tutafaulu. Tukishida tumefaulu, tukishindwa, tumefaulu (I believe that, by God’s will, we will win. If we win, we will have achieved success; if we lose, we will still have achieved something worthwhile)” he said.
“Kura itapigwa Jumamosi ijayo. Ikiwa nitachaguliwa, sawa. Ikiwa sitachaguliwa, sawa. Mimi bado niko nyumbani (The vote will take place on Saturday. If I am elected, fine. If I am not elected, fine. I will still be at home) added Raila at the event held at the Bomas of Kenya.
He thanked Kenyans for their support and prayers since he announced his intention to contest for the AUC seat. Should he be declared the winner of Saturday’s election in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he promised to do his best to transform the fortunes of the continent for the benefit of its people.
“Natoa shukrani nyingi kwa Wakenya kwa kuniombea katika safari hii ya AUC. Nitasimama imara. Nikienda kuongoza bara la Afrika, nitafanya mambo laini sawasawa vile mnajua tabia yangu. Nitajitahidi kutatua changamoto za Afrika. Nitafanya kazi kwa pamoja na viongozi wa Afrika,” he said.
The Kenyan candidate is up against Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahamoud Youssouf, and former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato.
He needs to secure at least two-thirds of the votes from the 49 AU member states to win in the first round.
