The government on Friday, February 14, dismissed the decision by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to endorse Madagascar’s African Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship candidate, Richard Randriamandrato, denting Kenya’s Raila Odinga’s hopes.
This came after SADC, on Wednesday, February 12, sent out a letter addressed to all the foreign ministers in the trade bloc, advising its member states to vote for Randriamandrato in the AUC election set to take place on Saturday, February 15.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei stated that SADC’s decision to back Randriamandrato was no cause for alarm for Raila’s bid and termed it an “afterthought.”
“To our minds, we think that this letter is something of an afterthought; we think that it is mere courtesy to show the minimalist solidarity extended to a member of their region,” he stated.
“So, to our minds, we do not think that it will have any bearing (on Raila’s AUC bid), but we are not taking any chances,” Sing'oei averred.
In that regard, Sing’oei noted that Nairobi had received assurances of support for Raila from a number of SADC countries, but last-minute groundwork was being done to ensure that Raila’s votes from the region were solidified.
“We are reaching out again to SADC countries to understand what the motivation behind this letter could be,” the PS stated.
At the same time, Sing’oei questioned the validity of Madagascar’s candidacy, challenging the basis of the island nation’s participation in the election due to its geographical location.
“It is important to note that this is the turn for a member of the Eastern region to be elected to chair the AUC. Madagascar is in a unique position because it straddles both the Eastern region and the Southern region. So, from a technical standpoint, I think, really, that Madagascar should not be on the ballot in regard to the Eastern region. Because if it was the turn of the Southern region, they could still contest. It gives them an unfair advantage,” the PS expressed.
The letter from SADC came as a shock, considering the timing of its release—just two days before the election. If heeded, it could have severe ramifications for Raila’s prospects after months of extensive campaigning in the SADC region and Africa as a whole.
SADC comprises 16 countries located in the southern part of Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, and Madagascar.
Other member states of the economic bloc are Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
However, Sing’oei, who has played a vital role in Raila’s AUC bid, exuded confidence in Raila’s chances of victory in the polls, citing the extensive work done by Raila’s campaign team, which gave him a strong likelihood of winning.
“The elections are conducted by way of a secret ballot, but I can tell you (Kenyans) that we have done our job. Our very strong view, really, is that once we have two candidates left in the race, the Kenyan candidate will not only prevail but also attain the two-thirds majority threshold very, very, very quickly,” Sing’oei asserted.
Besides Raila and Randriamandrato, Djibouti has also fronted its candidate, Mahmoud Youssouf. The winner will be declared when a two-thirds majority of the 55 countries vote in favour of one of the three candidates.
