Kalonzo Breaks Silence On Raila’s AUC Chair Defeat, Blames The DRC Conflict
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has broken his silence about why he believes Raila Odinga lost the African Union Chairperson elections on Saturday.
Despite being projected as a major favourite for the seat, Odinga was defeated by Djibouti’s foreign minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who won by a landslide with 33 votes.
As Kenyans struggle with Odinga’s narrow defeat, his former running mate, Kalonzo Musyoka, has accused President William Ruto of helping to ruin Odinga’s campaign.
The Wiper Party leader said that Ruto’s actions had unintentionally contributed to the defeat.
Kalonzo feels the loss was mostly caused by Kenya’s lost links with Southern African Development Community (SADC) governments.
He claimed that Odinga, a former Prime Minister, should never have lost to a foreign minister.
Ruto is to blame for Raila Loss at AUC Seat!!!Kalonzo Musyoka Now Reveals! pic.twitter.com/XWTAQCChz8
— Mutembei TV (@MutembeiTV) February 16, 2025
“The biggest loser is not Raila Odinga, it is William Ruto and he is the one who has tainted the image of the country,” Kalonzo said during a church service in Kitui.
“The 16-member bloc of SADC had problems with Ruto, and that’s why he called on a meeting and no one came. Hence the need to call another meeting in Dar es Salaam.”
He added, “That is one major reason because that bloc of 16 decided to vote for their person in round 2, remember Raila had 22 votes, and when the other Madagascar candidate pulled out the whole of SADC supported Djibouti because they had a problem with William Ruto. We have to tell each other the truth.”
As violence intensifies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President William Ruto, the current Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC), has actively promoted diplomacy.
This is an endeavor to end the ongoing conflict between the DRC government and rebel troops. However, his participation has not been without criticism.
EXPLAINED: How Raila Lost
A number of causes are thought to have contributed to Odinga’s defeat in the AUC elections.
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Notably, the following allocation of SADC votes after Madagascar’s nominee, Richard Randriamandrato, was ousted in the third round most likely boosted Youssouf’s vote share.
According to political observers, there is rising sympathy for Kalonzo’s theory, with some suggesting that President Ruto and Kenya’s apparent bias in the DRC crisis may have indirectly harmed Raila’s chances.
During the same church service, Kalonzo claimed that DRC President Felix Tshisekedi was irritated by Kenya’s apparent support for Rwanda in the conflict, which revealed itself in the Addis Ababa vote.
Meanwhile, Ruto has sent congratulatory greetings to the new AUC head, while Odinga, in an admirable display of statesmanship, acknowledged defeat.
Kalonzo Breaks Silence On Raila’s AUC Chair Defeat, Blames The DRC Conflict
