Top Brains Behind Raila’s AUC Campaign[LIST]

Former prime minister Raila Odinga’s campaign was driven by nine top brains alongside Kenyan diplomats abroad and the country’s intelligence agencies.

The nine-member team was tasked with leading one of the most complex and delicate diplomatic exercises to galvanise governments behind Raila.

Seasoned diplomat Elkana Odembo and Foreign Affairs PS Sing’oei Korir were in charge of the nine-member technical team.

Other members were Prof Makau Mutua, former Igad executive secretary Mahboub Maalim, lawyer Anthony Okara, former Nyeri deputy governor Nancy Karugu and digital strategist Pauline Njoroge.

This team’s efforts were supported by Kenyan missions and the country’s intelligence officers across the region.

Through their efforts, Raila visited 29 countries over the past year.

Foreign policy analyst Gordon K’achola termed the team the best a country can assemble for any high-profile diplomatic assignment like the African Union Commission chairman bid.

“In crafting the campaign secretariat, President William Ruto was keen in effective campaign strategy that has diplomatic acuity and presence, hence the selection of stalwarts like former Igad executive secretary Mahboub Maalim who has diplomatic, geopolitical and technical finesse in Africa and beyond,” K’achola said.

“No good team wins matches with a bad coach and a bad technical bench. The bringing of legal minds like Prof Makau Mutua, financial specialist and former Nyeri deputy governor Caroline Karugu, and data and security expert Raymond Omollo, who is the Principal Secretary for Ministry of Interior and National Administration, demonstrated the seriousness with which the President took up Odinga’s campaign.”

This is the second time Kenya fronting a candidate having lost to outgoing Moussa Faki of Chad in 2017. Kenya then had Amina Mohammed, who was heading the Foreign Affairs docket.

K’achola stated,”Unlike Amina’s bid that largely lacked diplomatic heavyweights, Odinga’s campaigns were literally handed over to the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs ministry to shoulder, led by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, diplomatic leviathans of our time Ambassador Elkanah Odembo and Ambassador Anthony Okara.”

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