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Ruto meets African presidents ahead of AUC elections
President William Ruto has met some African presidents and heads of state in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ahead of the African Union Commission elections set for February 15.
Ruto has also met outgoing AUC chair Moussa Faki, who former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is seeking to succeed.
Ruto has been holding the meetings on the sidelines of the 38th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
He has held discussions with presidents Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea), Bassirou Diomaye Faye (Senegal), João Lourenço (Angola), Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Barbados Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
The chairperson is elected by member states, excluding countries under military rule.
A candidate must garner a two-thirds majority of the votes cast. An AUC chairperson is elected by the Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once.
The seat is held on a rotational basis among the five regions, and this time, the Eastern region is eligible to present a candidate while the Northern region is supposed to present a deputy chairperson.
During his meeting with Faye, Ruto said Kenya and Senegal will continue to strengthen diplomatic relations at the bilateral and multilateral levels.
“We are, therefore, exploring new avenues of cooperation to enhance mutual growth and interests. Together, we are committed to advance reforms of the African Union to establish a stable, financially sustainable, and predictable framework that will drive Africa’s progress,” he said.
In his meeting with Mbasogo, Ruto noted that Kenya and Equatorial Guinea have long enjoyed warm and cordial bilateral relations.
“Our two nations remain steadfast in our commitment to strong diplomatic and economic cooperation, fostering shared prosperity and advancing the mutual interests of our people,” he stated.
During the meeting with Lourenço, Ruto said Kenya and Angola are deepening ties by broadening trade and investment, and people-to-people contacts, especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement framework.
“We are also collaborating on regional peace and security through our two regional blocs — the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC),” he stated.
THE STAR