The African Union (AU), an organization of 55 member states, set to choose fifth chairman of the commission in February 2025. The new chairman will replace the current chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat of Ghana, who has held the position since March 2017.
Kenya's longtime opposition leader Odinga is among those in contention for the job.
On August 27, Odinga announced his candidacy for the election at a ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya, which was supported by the heads of seven African states.
Odinga faces at least three other candidates from Djibouti, Mauritius and Madagascar.
Ahmed Hashi, a Kenyan diplomatic analyst and former foreign ministry spokesman, accused the United States and its ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, of interfering in the upcoming African Union elections.
“The Americans will take part in the elections and will not allow Raila [Odinga] for the AUC chairmanship, Hashi said on Kenya's Citizen TV morning show. He suggested that Odinga's rival, Mahamud Ali Yusuf of Djibouti, is America's choice for the job.
“Meg Whitman was involved in the country's internal affairs. Raila [Odinga] “He faced opposition from the Americans from the moment he was born,” Hashi said.
This is a lie.
There is no evidence that US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman interfered in the internal affairs of Kenya or the region.
Contrary to this claim, there is ample evidence that Whitman strengthened diplomatic ties between Kenya and the United States.
On May 22, the United States invited Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House to celebrate 60 years of partnership between the two countries. During the visit, US Upgrades Kenya's Status to a non-NATO ally.
The US has appointed Whitman, a billionaire entrepreneur and former eBay CEO, Ambassador to Kenya in 2022. Since arriving in Nairobi, she has focused on strengthening Kenya's economic potential, with the technology industry as a top priority on her agenda.
Last year, she accompanied Ruto on a trip to Silicon Valley to support Kenya's Aspirations for the development of a young technology industry.
However, some in Kenya have mistakenly perceived Whitman's working relationship with Ruto as unconditional support from the US, calling her “Ruto's new aide.”
Despite the speculation, Whitman appears to adhere to diplomatic standards, not only supporting Ruto's plans for the country's development but also criticising the president when she believes he is wrong.
In a television interview on August 27 Whitman shouted Kenyan President for accusing the Ford Foundation of funding Generation Z protests.
“I thought it was absolutely wrong. The Ford Foundation has been working in this country for almost 60 years. They support many civil society organizations,” she said.
August 18th last year Kenya's President Comes to Her Defense when she was accused of interfering in Kenyan politics after calling the 2022 elections “the fairest and freest elections ever.”
Cameron Hudson, former White House National Security Council official, said PoliticoAmerican political digital newspaper, “She is very outspoken. She is very public, much more so than other US ambassadors to other African countries or other countries.”
Regarding Hashi's statement that “Raila [Odinga] I have faced opposition from Americans “since the day I was born” – they are simply unfounded.
May 15 Kenyan Daily Star Whitman reportedly expressed her support for Odinga's candidacy for the African Union Commission chairperson's post following their meeting on May 3.
The newspaper quotes the ambassador as saying: “I am excited about his potential as the leader of the African Union. and that's good for East Africa and probably good for Kenya.”
Odinga has long been in opposition politics in Kenya, running unsuccessfully for president five times.
After losing the election last year, Odinga claimedwithout any evidence that “Washington appointed William Ruto as president.”
While local media have described Odinga's relationship with the US as a love-hate relationship, the opposition leader connections with the current and previous US administrations remains cordial.
The US Invites Odinga several times to attend meetings with other world leaders.