Raila Odinga: Why former PM was relieved from the African Union role

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is no longer the Africa Union’s High Representative for Infrastructure Development, following an announcement by the AU Commission on 23 February 2023.



Odinga took up the role in October 2018, only a few months after the handshake deal with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, which ended the then anti-government civil disobedience campaign.



Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, explained the position was no longer required since the the AU Development Agency Act 2019 established the African Union Development Agency as its specialized agency for infrastructure development.



AUDA marks a transition from the New Partnership for Africa’s Development program to a new era of African infrastructure development.



The agency’s mandate comprises the exclusive role of implementing the continent’s agenda on infrastructure by ensuring that African countries have the necessary skills and capacity to develop their own infrastructure.



AUDA will also work closely with the African Development Bank and other development partners to mobilize financing for infrastructure projects on the continent in addition to coordinating and monitoring the implementation of Africa’s infrastructure development programs.



Government flexing muscles



Odinga has been widely praised for his efforts in helping to bring about a peaceful transition of power in Kenya over the years. But whereas his efforts being described as instrumental in ensuring the country remains peaceful, his detractors have used this latest development to suggest this marks the beginning of the end to his opportunistic political survival strategy.



National Assembly Leader of Majority, Kimani Ichungwa, had told the country how the William Ruto administration had stopped remitting the KSh600 million to the AU which went into funding Odinga’s role, prompting the Addis Ababa-based body to retire the office and its holder.



Ichungwa’s sentiments could be the easiest explanation of how Ruto’s government wants to flex its muscles and suffocate Odinga from the opportunity to cash in on his diplomatic credentials to maintain his relevance.



It is understood that although the AUDA Act 2019 did provide for sunsetting the role Odinga held, it would still be in the best interest of the continental body to find a role for the Azimio leader but Ruto and his government would not allow that to happen.



Faki hailed Odinga’s commitment and leadership, particularly his role in chairing the High-Level Panel on Infrastructure, which provided valuable insights and guidance on the way forward for Africa’sinfrastructure development.



“Your role in this journey, Excellency, has been invaluable,” Faki told Odinga in a letter, adding that his contribution to the continental infrastructure agenda will be remembered and appreciated for years to come.



On his part, Odinga, in a letter addressed to the Kenya Embassy in Ethiopia and copied to the African Union, said it had been a privilege serving in the role whose end is a “happy conclusion”.



During his tenure, he served as a mediator between he Kenyan government and the opposition, working to bring about peace and stability in the country.



The coming into force of the AUDA Act 2019 is the main reason Odinga left his role and not the Ichungwa claims but one way or the other, the UDA legislator’s remarks are meant to whip political emotions against Odinga in a manner that comes out as “even the Africa Union wants nothing to do with Odinga, so it is time Kenyans moved on from his ideology”.