The event, presided over by Kenyan President William Ruto, will mark the official launch of Odinga's campaign for the seat.
The East African Community (EAC) chairperson and President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, arrived in the Kenyan capital for the event on Monday evening.
President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania arrived this morning and is expected to be joined by two other heads of state, including Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Somalia's Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Rwanda's Foreign Affairs Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, will represent President Paul Kagame at the event, while Burundi's Head of State, Évariste Ndayishimiye, will be represented by Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca.
IGIHE understands that all eight heads of state from the region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were invited to attend the event.
Also expected to grace the occasion is former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who endorsed Odinga's AUC bid earlier this year.
Odinga is seeking to succeed Chad's Moussa Faki in elections slated for February 2025.
The former Kenyan Prime Minister and opposition leader received a major boost in March after the African Union Executive Council unanimously resolved that candidates for the position of the next chairperson of the AU Commission would be nominated by the Eastern African regional States.
Early this month, Odinga also received another boost after former Somalia Foreign Affairs Minister Fawzia Yusuf Adam withdrew from the race to back the former Kenyan premier.
Odinga will now battle it out with Djibouti candidate Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and his former Madagascar counterpart Richard James Randrianmandrato.
This is a developing story and will be updated…
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/eac-heads-of-state-in-nairobi-for-launch-of-odinga-s-auc-bid
