The government has established an extensive secretariat to support Azimio leader Raila Odinga’s campaign for the African Union Commission (AUC) chair.
This secretariat will oversee the daily coordination of all campaign activities for Raila.
During a joint briefing with Raila on Wednesday, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced that the secretariat will include top government bureaucrats as well as Raila’s team. “Today I want to update the nation on Kenyan candidacy for the AUC, let me thank Raila for the fruitful meeting and discussions we have had this morning,” he said.
“It (the secretariat) will prepare all the briefs for use by the candidate, develop campaign materials including digital presence, and prepare for the public debate to be broadcast live for African citizens,” Mudavadi added.
The team’s first task, before its members are publicly announced, will be to prepare the application documents to meet the August 6 submission deadline.
“The team is firming up preparatory and application documents together with requisite translations of the resume into six languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French, English, and Kiswahili.”
Both President William Ruto and Raila will attend the unveiling of the secretariat once its members are nominated.
“It was the first time the team from Raila’s side and the government met and agreed on the roadmap. The two teams were instructed to work as one before the secretariat is unveiled,” a source present at the meeting stated.
Mudavadi praised Raila as a visionary leader with the potential to elevate the African Union. “We have a visionary leader to fire up the African Union to greater levels,” he said.
He emphasized that Raila embodies the principles highly regarded by the continent, including the spirit of Pan-Africanism. “We have no doubt that the candidate will pursue the vision,” Mudavadi concluded.