African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson candidate Raila Odinga is set to debate his competitors today at the African Leadership Debate also dubbed Mjadala Afrika.

The Mjadala Afrika debate is set to be held in the African Union headquarters at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The debate will be broadcast globally.

The debate is set to take place from 7:00pm-9:00pm East Africa Time and the candidates debating will be the former PM Odinga, Richard Randriamandrato from Madagascar and Mahmoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti.

The debate will be an opportunity for every candidate to present their manifesto and defend their vision for the future of Africa.

“The debate focuses on policy issues and a solutions-oriented engagement on how each candidate intends to advance the realization of the Aspirations and Goals of Agenda 2063, other AU projects with continental focus, and common African positions,” stated a statement by AU

Petition to stop state from using public resources for Raila AUC campaign

A petition has been files to stop the State from using public funds to campaign for Raila Odinga’s African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson bid.

The petition has been filed by city lawyer Lempaa Suyianka at the High Court. He argues that spending public money for this campaign is a violation of Article 201 (a) and (d) of the Constitution.

Article 201: the following principles shall guide all aspects of public finance in the Republic:

(a) there shall be openness and accountability, including public participation in financial matters

(d) public money shall be used in a prudent and responsible way

Mr Suyianka states that he previously wrote to the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs on September 10, demanding information on the former Prime Minister’s candidature to no avail.

Additionally, he enquired about when the government decided to sponsor or support Mr Odinga’s candidature and what body of the government made the decision. Finally, he sought to know how much money had been set aside for this campaign.