Gini wasekao! Kisumu residents optimistic of Raila AUC victory

In Kondele where Raila enjoys fanatical support, a large screen was mounted for residents to follow proceedings.

by FAITH MATETE

Realtime15 February 2025 - 15:00

In Summary

The 38th ordinary session of the AU Summit will culminate in the election of a successor to outgoing AUC chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad.
The new chair will be elected after two rounds of elections via secret ballot starting Saturday.

Residents of Kisumu city on Saturday gathered at various venues to watch the ongoing meeting for the election of the chairperson of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The 38th ordinary session of the AU Summit will culminate in the election of a successor to outgoing AUC chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad at the Nelson Mandela Hall.

Kenya's Raila Odinga is vying for the position against Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.

In Kondele where Raila enjoys fanatical political support, a large screen was mounted at the roundabout under the flyover, where residents were attentively following the proceedings.

Resident Mark Owiyi expressed his commitment to following the meeting until the very end.

"We are praying for our leader, Raila Odinga. That's all we can offer at this moment, as we are not voters. We hope that God sees him through," he said.

Another resident, Millicent Wahudu, commended the efforts of President William Ruto in supporting Raila.

"The President has done well, and we truly appreciate his efforts. We see in the news every day how hard he is working to bring this position home."

Wahudu said they are grateful to the President for standing with their leader and regardless of the outcome, the act of generosity will never be forgotten by Raila supporters in the lakeside city.

The election of the next AUC chair will be preceded by the election of the deputy chairperson.

Fifty five AU member states are eligible to vote to elect the fifth chairperson of the commission,

The winner is required to garner two-thirds support, equivalent to 33 votes, a feat Kisumu residents said Raila would achieve.

"Gini wasekao," they said, Luo for 'victory is already home'.

Raila is considered favourite considering the AU Executive Council has asserted the right of the East African region to produce the next chairperson and North Africa to vie for the deputy chairperson post.

Past chairpersons have hailed from western, central and southern regions of the African Union.

The new chair will be elected after two rounds of elections via secret ballot starting Saturday.

The second round on Sunday will feature only two best candidates after the first round of voting with the winner required to garner two thirds of total votes cast.

According to Maxwell Okello, Raila is one of their own and whether he wins the seat or not, he will always remain their leader and he will come back home, and pick up from where he left.

"It's still a win win for us, because we will still have Raila," he said.

Presidents and heads of government from AU member countries are meeting at the summit under the theme 'Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations'.

AU said in a statement the path to justice and repair is long, but the African Union, its member states, the African citizens and the African Diaspora are determined to walk it together.

"Reparations are not just about the past-they are about the future. A future where history is acknowledged, justice is served, and Africans and people of African descent can thrive with dignity and equality in fulfillment of the Africa We Want," the union's outgoing chairperson, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, said.

Ghazouani was succeeded by Angolan President João Lourenço for the one-year rotational chairmanship of the African Union at the end of the opening ceremony of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.