Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has faulted President William Ruto for Raila Odinga’s failure to secure the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship.
According to Gachagua, Raila’s struggle for democracy, his role in Kenya’s second liberation, and his contribution to the 2010 constitution made him a strong contender; however, his bid for the top AU job did not succeed because of the Kenyan government’s involvement in his campaign.
Speaking during an interview with a local media station on Monday, February 24, 2025, the former DP argued that Raila’s candidacy was perceived as a project of Ruto, which made it unappealing to many African leaders, adding that across Africa and globally, people tend to reject candidates who seem to be political projects rather than independent leaders.
“Raila is a man who has struggled; he has been in detention for eight years, almost lost his family, championed the second liberation, fought for democracy, and was very instrumental in the 2010 constitution. I honestly felt that if he became the AUC chair it would be a very dignified exit for a man who has given his life for this country but it did not work because the government bubbled it.
“Had President Ruto kept away from that (AUC) campaign, Raila would have been elected. You know people hate projects not just here in Kenya but in Africa and the world. Raila Odinga was perceived to be a ‘William Ruto project’ to take him to the AU to sort his political problems in Kenya, and therefore many African presidents had a problem with that from what we gathered, “Gachagua said.
Diplomatic blunders
Apart from the government’s involvement in Raila’s AUC campaign, the handling of diplomatic relations, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been blamed. Gachagua pointed out that Ruto’s approach to the DRC issue did not please some African leaders, which may have influenced the voting process.
According to the second deputy president, the presence of delegations from Kenya, whom he termed a ‘cheering squad’ at the AU meeting in Addis Ababa was seen as a diplomatic blunder, adding that the move offended many diplomats and African leaders.
He further stated that Raila’s campaign team failed to study the geopolitics, adding that the whole process should have been handled with more subtle diplomatic engagements rather than public displays of support.
“They were also not able to study geopolitics in a proper manner and see how to handle them, and then the way the president handled the DRC issue, he rubbed many people the wrong way.
“Again, there was no need to take the cheering squad to Addis Ababa; the election was a highly diplomatic maneuver whispering to the ear of presidents because it was very demeaning to African presidents to think that you could persuade them to vote for Raila Odinga by bringing a cheering squad. It was a diplomatic blunder; even the diplomats were very offended by Kenya by the kind of show they took there in Addis,” he added.
