Raila Allies Plan Next Move to Remove East African Community from AU After Loss

Homa Bay Town Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Kaluma has hinted at a plan to petition the withdrawal of the East African Community (EAC) from the African Union following the loss of Kenya’s African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship candidate, Raila Odinga.

Taking to his official X account on Saturday, February 15, 2025, just moments after Djibouti candidate Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was declared the new AUC chairman, Kaluma said that he will personally file the petition.

“I will petition the withdrawal of the East African Community from the African Union,” Kaluma stated.

Echoing his colleagues sentiments, Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi says Kenya should consider cutting its funding to AU with a long plan of leaving the union.

Narok Senator Ledama Olekina also aligns with the sentiments calling on the president to consider exiting AU, “Thank you President @WilliamsRuto for your effort. You did your best and we appreciate it. Now we must think of the future of Africa. Why not divide the African union into two ? Why not ?” he wrote on X.

Kaluma also added that President Ruto and Raila should now move with speed to formalize the ODM and UDA coalition, as it still remains unofficial despite the fact that members of the opposition party were incorporated into the government under the broad-based government initiative that followed the widespread protests in the country.

Djobouti candidate wins

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf won the AUC chairmanship race in the seventh round after Raila withdrew in the sixth round of the voting exercise that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday, February 15, 2025. He won with 33 votes.

The AUC vote had gone up to the sixth round of voting after none of the candidates managed to garner at least 33 votes, which is two-thirds of the heads of state who voted.

In the first round, Kenya’s candidate, Raila, took the lead after he garnered 20 votes, followed closely by his Djibouti rival, who garnered 18 votes, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar got 10 votes.

In the second round, Raila got 22 votes, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf got 19, and Randriamandrato garnered seven votes. One abstained.

In the third round, Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf took the lead with 23 votes, followed closely by Raila, who got 20 votes, with Madagascar’s Randriamandrato garnering five. One abstained in this round.

The race narrowed to two candidates after the Madagascar candidate was dropped after the third round.

In the fourth round, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf still took the lead with 25 votes, with Raila getting 21. Two votes were spoiled, with two abstentions.

In the fifth round, the Djibouti candidate garnered 26 votes, with Raila managing 21 votes with two abstentions.

Raila drops out

Raila dropped out of the race after round six that saw Mahmoud garner 26 votes, with the former PM managing 22 votes.

Mahmoud is now proceeding to the next round, seeking a two-thirds majority of at least 33 votes.