‘Why I want Raila barred from the AUC race’

By Newsflash Reporter

A Kenyan human rights activist has written to the Africa Union (AU) Secretariat explaining why Kenya’s candidate for the Africa Union Commission (AUC)’s chairmanship position, Raila Odinga, is unfit to contest.

The activist, Mr David Kimengere, believes that Raila has “too much blood on his hands” thus unsuitable for the position.

As the Saturday, 15th February, 2025’s elections approaches, Kimengere has already petitioned several heads of state not to vote for Raila.

In his petition to the AU and which Newsflash is in possession of, Kimengere, says that although Raila is a Kenyan like him, the AUC chairmanship is a critical position, which requires a person with a history of integrity, championing of human rights and unquestionable track record in defending democracy.

The 2018 swearing-in

“In the past, this candidate [Raila Odinga] has taken Kenya through various acts of violence in order to bypass Instruments of Authority. The candidate has always besmirched independent offices and has in the recent past – 2018 – in a televised event, led his supporters in an attempted forceful or hostile take-over of power by swearing himself as an elected president in total disregard of the Kenyan Constitution and the Kenyan the Supreme Court,” says Kimengere in his petition dated 22 January, 2025.

Kimengere’s petition shipment acknowledgment receipt. Photo/Newsflash.

He has written the petition on behalf of two organisations – The Commonwealth Voter Privileges Rights Association (Cowe Vopra), where he serves as the Secretary-General and Sauti ya Mnyonge- Kuungana Kujenga Kenya – which he is the leader and founder.

The petition was received and acknowledged by the AU Secretariat.

On Saturday, Raila is set to face Djibouti’s Mahmoud Youssouf and Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato.

The 2007/2008 post-election violence

According to Kimengere, Raila also greatly played part in the 2007/2008 post-election violence, where about 1,300 Kenyans lost their lives while more than 600,000 were displaced.

The electoral dispute pitied Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and retired president (the late) Mwai Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU).

Due to the violence, six Kenyans, among them President William Ruto and Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, were charged at the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for incitements and financing the violence.

Others were former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, former Commissioner of Police Major General (retired) Hussein Ali, journalist Joshua Arap Sang and former minister Henry Kosgey.

Kimengere says that Raila was supposed to be among the six.

“This candidate uses incitement after losing elections to negotiate political deals with the winning presidents. He should have been charged at the ICC for causing the bloodshed year 2007/2008. He has orchestrated mayhem in every election cycle in Kenya where he has participated which causes violence through his rejection of election results after sensing defeat or after losing. In such acts of rejecting results, he causes mayhem on the Kenyan people in every election cycle,” says the activist in his petition.

Betrayed the Gen Zs

He also accuses Raila of capitalising on the June’s Gen Zs protests to politically benefit from Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza regime.

Kimengere says that instead of siding with the protesting youth, Raila had four of his allies appointed as Cabinet Secretaries by Ruto.

The four are Ali Hassan Joho (Mining), John Mbadi (Finance), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Co-operatives).

“In the year 2024, he took advantage of the Gen Z youth protests in Kenya by having his opposition party ODM join the government. He has mocked the young Kenyans whose protests were based on real concerns and grievances that are yet to be addressed,” he says.

Silence on abductions

The activist also accuses Raila of remaining silent as the wave of abductions continues to shake the country.

“Despite branding himself as a defender of the voiceless, Raila has strangely remained silent in the wake of abductions targeting high-profile international citizens such as Tanzania’s activist Maria Sarungi Teshai and Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye. He has not commented on the controversial Adani deals,” he says.

AU to investigate Raila

The activist, therefore, wants the AU to intervene and investigate Raila on the raised claims.

“We, therefore, as petitioners, pray that the AU intervene and; investigate the issues we have raised regarding Raila Odinga and if found to be true, do take action and bar the said candidate from taking part in the elections of the chairmanship of the AUC,” he concludes.

Besides the AU, the activist has sent the same petition to the governments of Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Gambia and Botswana.

Despite the petition, over 100 MPs have confirmed travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a sign of goodwill to Raila.

The MPs will accompany President Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi (who is also Kenya’s Foreign Minister), top government officials and a host of governors from across the political divide.

Raila’s AUC Campaigns Secretariat did not respond to Newsflash’s enquiries about the petition.