I am not going away, Raila says as he eyes AU top job

Published on:Feb.28 2024 5:26 PM(EAT)

ODM Party leader Raila Odinga has assured Kenyans of his availability when needed even as he guns for the African Union Chairmanship post.

Speaking during a presser on Wednesday, Raila said winning the AUC top job will not mean that he will not be there for Kenyans.

“I am not going away. Addis Ababa is only two hours away from Nairobi. I am available, whenever I am called I will answer. I am ready to work with you people,” he said.

Raila who on Monday held talks with President William Ruto alongside his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni committed to helping Kenyans once called upon.

During the meeting held in Uganda, the three leaders discussed Raila’s candidature for the AUC chairmanship.

Photos shared by both Raila and Ruto showed them looking after cows at Museveni’s country home in Kisozi even as they held talks.

Speaking about the meeting, the ODM leader said they also discussed the oil tussle facing Kenya and Uganda.

It is during the talks that he said he sought Ruto and Museveni’s support.

“After we talked about my candidature, they talked about the issue of oil among themselves,” Raila said.

“I asked for their support and both of them agreed they would support me. President Museveni said he would be the one to propose me as the chair of AUC and I said thank you,” he said

Raila at the same time revealed that he has been on a mission to hunt for support for his bid for the AUC chairmanship bid.

That, he says, should not make Kenyans feel that he has cut ties with them.

“Let me respond to some issues and fears being raised, I am not going anywhere, I am around. I have been running around trying to get support from different heads of state,” Raila said.

The Opposition leader further said his Uganda meeting with President William Ruto was not planned.

Raila said he had gone to Uganda to lobby for support from President Yoweri Museveni on his African Union Commission chairman bid.

He explained that it is while he was in Uganda that they met with President Ruto who had gone to talk about the oil tiff that has embroiled the two country.

“I have been running around trying to get support from different heads of states. I was with some in Namibia and I went to the President of Uganda after I had talked to him to go and ask for his support and then we met there with Ruto who had also gone there to talk about the issues they are having on oil the G to G, with his minister for energy,” he said.

The former Prime minister said that after they held talks on his AU Commission candidature and the two leaders agreed to support him.