Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's exit as the African Union (AU) High Representative for Infrastructure was allegedly influenced by President William Ruto, according to insiders at the continental body.
On Thursday, February 24, a diplomatic source at the African Union Commission (AUC) initiated that a closed-door meeting between Ruto and officials of the Commission was convened during the sidelines of the AU Heads of State and Government Summit.
The source indicated that the Kenyan delegation made the request to have Raila's term ended due to the recent anti-government rallies.
“You must remember that former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who got him here, is no longer in power.
"This was a polite termination and the request was made at one of the closed-door meetings on the sidelines of the AU Summit,” the diplomat told Nation on Thursday, February 2.
Another source from the Kenya delegation also alleged that the Head of State was behind the request.
The AU, on the other hand, was inclined to heed the request given that independent agencies in the country, such as the Supreme Court, upheld the election victory of Ruto.
Notably, officials at the continental body also considered that the election observers also took part in the 2022 General Election, and no issues were raised over Ruto's win.
Ruto's allies also supported the move as they insisted that Raila was fired from his job.
"For the first time in his life has accepted a decision. Thank you, AU for firing Raila for his continuous undermining of a legitimate government of Kenya led by Ruto," Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei stated.
However, Raila maintained that his term ended on his own volition, given that he had requested to exit the post.
"During our meeting on the sidelines of the 2nd Dakar African Infrastructure Financing Summit in Dakar, Senegal about three weeks ago, I indicated the challenges to my continued availability for the role of AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa," Raila stated.
Meanwhile, hours before AUended his job, the former Prime Minister had threatened to embark on mass action if President William Ruto does not lower the cost of living.
Raila insisted that the government was illegitimate and had promised much more than it can offer.
