'Kenya has a strong candidate for AUC,' Wetangula lobbies Pan-African Parliament to back Raila

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has continued to campaign for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in his African Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship bid.

This coming as Mr. Odinga is next week set to participate in the Mjadala Afrika Leadership debate for the AUC Chair seat, pitting him against two other candidates; Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (Djibouti), Richard Randriamandrato (Madagascar).

Mr. Odinga is seeking to succeed incumbent AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat,  whose term is coming to an end, and with the elections slated for February 25, 2025.

Wetangula, speaking during a courtesy call by representatives of the Pan African Parliament in his office on Wednesday, said Mr. Odinga is the most suitable candidate to defend the interests of African nations and facilitate attainment of meaningful reforms.

 “Kenya has a strong candidate for AUC Chairperson. When you go back home, ask your Foreign Ministers and Presidents to support him,” he said.

The team was composed of representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Zambia, Tunisia and Kenya.

They are in the country on a fact finding mission for remedies to counter climate change and desertification so as to ensure effective soil management to enhance food sufficiency.

“Everything is being done on the soil, among them mining, agriculture among others. The question of soil management is a matter that needs urgent redress,” stated Sakata Garry, the Chairman.

Wetangula noted that while Africa was resource rich and had great potential, its population was still largely poor and yet to reap the benefits of its sub-soil resources, hence an urgent need to develop strategies that will turn the tide.

“Africa lives on the soils. However we produce what we don’t consume and consume what we don’t produce,” he stressed.

Though the Pan African Parliaments’ role is largely advisory, Speaker Wetangula lauded the team for taking the lead in initiating the development of legislation on soil management in Africa to highlight the need for effective soil management for food security and climate change mitigation.

“Over the last 30 months or so, our country has been lucky as there has been constant rain in the food basket, we are sugar-sufficient, we are sufficient in cereal (maize) but when the rain stops, we are back to the drawing board. We need to move away from rain-fed agriculture and go back to storing rain and storm water and embrace engineered agriculture,” he added.

Assuring the delegation of his support, Wetangula who is among the pioneers of the Pan African Parliament, went on to stress the need to focus on soil resuscitation proposing management of challenges such as wind and water erosion, high acidity and general poor soil management habits.