Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga did their best in the just concluded African Union Commission chairperson election held in Addis Ababa on Saturday February 15, 2025.

In a statement on Saturday, shortly after the AUC elections, Kindiki said Kenya remains a proud nation despite having lost in the AUC elections.

“President William Ruto, our candidate Raila Odinga, and his campaign team gave their best. Unfortunately, we have lost.  

“We remain a proud nation that we came so close.  Today was not our day, our day will come. Thanks to all the friends of Kenya who stood with us when it mattered,” Kindiki said.

At the same time, the DP defended Raila’s credentials in the AUC elections,  saying he was Kenya’s best.

“For the record, Kenya has never before fronted such a qualified, decorated and ideologically anchored candidate for an international job. 

“Our loss despite such a superior candidate with a clear agenda for the continent and after such an energetic campaign requires that we figure out what else to get right in future bids,” Kindiki said.

This was after Raila Odinga, who was Kenya’s candidate, lost to Djibouti’s counterpart Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in a hotly contested election.

Raila led in the first and second rounds as Youssouf led in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.

However, Raila was eliminated in the 7th round, which saw the Djiboutian candidate contest alone in order to attain a two thirds majority of the vote.

In the seventh round, Youssouf garnered the requisite 33 votes to clinch the seat.