How Raila Has Learnt From Amina Mohamed's AUC Defeat
Raila is not the first Kenyan to vie for the coveted seat. In 2017, former Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed made an attempt to clinch the role.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The focus is on Addis Ababa this Saturday, February 15 as the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship election is set to take place.
Kenya is among the countries that are set to grab attention in the African continent as one of the country's most celebrated politicians and opposition leader, Raila Odinga, is in contention to become the new AUC chair.
He will have to contend with tricky opposition in the form of Djibouti's Mahmoud Ali Yousouff (MAY) and Madagascar's Richard J. Randriamandrato. If he emerges victorious, he will be the first Kenyan to win the coveted continental seat.
However, Raila is not the first Kenyan to vie for the coveted seat. In 2017, former Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed made an attempt to clinch the role.
Raila Odinga with Amina Mohamed during a past event. /STANDARD DIGITAL
She was initially considered the frontrunner in the race but ultimately lost to Chad’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Moussa Faki Mahamat. The decision came after seven rounds of voting, in which the incumbent secured a two-thirds majority needed for victory.
How has Raila learnt from Amina Mohamed's loss?
In an interview with a local media station on Friday, February 14, 2025, former Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Ambassador Macharia Kamau stated that Raila has a chance of winning the position by steering clear of the mistakes that, according to him, cost Amina the job.
Ambassador Macharia, who served under former President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration, stated that the country was impacted by certain statements and positions that were seen as challenges to regional politics.
Macharia highlighted that Kenya’s candidacy posed a threat to nations in North and West Africa, resulting in a shift in allegiance. However, he did not provide specific details on the matter.
“We did not succeed in those last two campaigns and we had an excellent candidate in Amina Mohamed, particularly in the AUC seat she was well positioned, even in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) because of her experience in Geneva where she had spent a lot of time on various portfolios,” Macharia said.
“For the AU, it is fair to say that there was a strategic mistake that was made in the very last days and weeks of that campaign which had to do with how we vocalised our intentions once we got into the job. This is nothing personal, it is just the way it turned out.”
Macharia opined that the rather negative in the constituencies in North and West Africa came to haunt Kenya on the day of the election, even though the country was among the frontrunners until the very last days.
Despite this, the former PS expressed confidence that Raila Odinga has a chance of winning the AUC chairmanship election scheduled for Saturday, February 15, 2025.
Ambassador Macharia praised Raila’s campaign strategy and the careful drafting of his vision, emphasizing that it remained within appropriate boundaries.
“I think we have learnt those lessons and Raila Odinga has been more careful not to overstate his intentions on what he can do and what he cannot do once he is in power because everybody sees it from a different angle.”
“What we understood is that some of our local politics are shipped out into regional politics. But to be honest, I wish him well, Kenya needs to win because it is our turn,” Macharia insisted.
