- The 37th summit is attended by all heads of state and government including ministers and diplomats from the continent.
- The new chair will be selected at the next AU summit, in 2025.
Image: COURTESY
Lobbying for the coveted position of AU Commission (AUC) chairperson seat is set to take center stage during the ongoing head of state summit in Ethiopia.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga who has already declared his interest has dispatched a team of key influencers to the country as part of his plan to secure election to this prominent role.
The 37th summit is attended by all heads of state and government including ministers and diplomats from the continent.
Former Ambassador to US and France Elkanah Odembo who is one of Raila's trusted lieutenants is leading the team.
He is set to hold talks with various leaders and diplomats from various countries to seek their support.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Singoei, who is actively involved in the campaign engaged Friday in strategic consultations with Odembo on the sidelines of the meeting.
The two also discuss the campaign plan aimed at positioning Raila as a strong contender for the seat.
In a statement, Singoei expressed confidence in the plan noting Kenya fully supports it.
"We look forward to working together in advancing this important agenda," he said.
Moussa Faki, the current chairperson is serving his final term in office having been reelected on February 2, 2021.
He was first elected in 2017.
The Commission chairperson has a four-year term and runs the organisation’s secretariat, the repository of its institutional expertise.
He is also the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the Commission’s Chief Accounting Officer.
Others to be selected are the deputy and six commissioners, who together with the chair make up the Commission’s top leadership.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa from Rwanda is the current deputy and became the first female to occupy the position.
The new chair will be selected at the next AU summit, in 2025.
It is conducted by a secret ballot and a two-thirds majority of member states eligible to vote.
The 2021- 2024 elections of senior leadership for the AU Commission also saw the elections of commissioners which was undertaken by the Executive Council.
The Council elects the commissioners, who are then appointed by the Assembly. Commissioners are elected for four years, renewable once.
To ensure that candidates are chosen on merit and not solely through deal-making between states and regions, the AU decided to set up a panel of eminent persons who will vet candidates and draw up a shortlist.
By the end of 2023, however, only three of Africa’s five regions had met the deadline to submit a candidate to serve on the panel.
Countries have until May 2024 to submit the names of their preferred candidates.