PLO Lumumba: Raila missing out on AUC seat is good for Africa
Constitutional Lawyer Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) Lumumba has weighed in on Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship, arguing that his loss to Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was ultimately beneficial for the continent.
Speaking on a local media station on March 3, 2025, Lumumba asserted that Raila’s candidacy was never a viable one, pointing to both domestic and regional scepticism about his leadership.
“Africans were asking, if this is a man you yourselves don’t want at home, why are you bringing him to lead the continent? It was clear from the start that he was not going to win,” he remarked.
Lumumba criticized the optics surrounding Raila’s bid, particularly the perceived sense of entitlement he exhibited regarding the position.
“Raila Odinga is 80 years old, and when he spoke to his supporters here in Kenya, he described the AUC role as being ‘President of Presidents.’ The sitting African leaders heard this and said that this person wants to be elected to serve yet he sees himself as the president of presidents. These and other factors contributed to his defeat,” Lumumba explained.
He further noted that the celebrations that accompanied Raila’s campaign in Addis Ababa worked against him.
“He, along with his fans and supporters, entered Addis Ababa city with cheers and celebrations, thinking he would be elected, but it was unfortunate for them. And frankly, it is good for Africa that he was not elected,” Lumumba stated.
The law professor questioned whether Kenya would have known peace had Raila won the position.
“If Raila would have been chosen, would we have rested in Kenya?
Look, he wasn’t elected, and now observe the drama and noise that has resulted from his non-election,” he stated.
Drawing parallels between Raila’s AUC bid and his previous election losses in Kenya, Lumumba accused the veteran politician of consistently blaming external factors for his defeats.
“We see these behaviours and tendencies even here at home; whenever Raila loses, he has minor excuses that ‘I lost because votes were stolen.’ Our politicians must change their mindset,” he asserted.
He also criticized what he described as a culture of political hero-worship, referencing the songs and chants sung by Kenyans in support of Raila during the run-up to the elections in Addis Ababa.
“People were singing ‘Tawala Kenya, Tawala Afrika, Addis ya Baba.’ The Bible tells us not to call any man ‘Baba (Father)’ except God in heaven. We call someone ‘Baba’ are we worshipping him? Now he pretends and feels like God, and such things bring negative effects to the nation,” he warned.
Earlier criticism
Speaking on a local media station on February 17, 2025, Lumumba termed Kenya’s decision to field Raila Odinga as its candidate a strategic misstep.
“I think that we made a mistake and the mistake that was made was that we fielded a candidate who was not the best candidate,” Lumumba said.
He went as far as to say that if he were president, he would dismiss Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi due to the failures in the AUC election strategy.
“If I was the president of Kenya my first act would be to remove my Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and everybody who was involved because the diplomatic missteps that were being committed at all levels during the runup to this election is without comparison,” he added.
