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Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has closed the AUC Chairmanship by absolving President William Ruto from all blame in his loss.
Speaking at a dinner organized for the Kenyan delegation in Addis Ababa, Raila noted that the loss is bound to attract baseless claims and hollow theories, none of which is true.
Raila addresses rumours likely to arise from his loss
The former Prime Minister acknowledged that the loss is bound to attract all manner of rumours including his age factor, insufficient financial investment in the shuttle diplomacy, and allegations that President Ruto simply wanted to distract him from local politics and eventually humiliate him.
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READ: Blame game, resignation calls & exit from AU: The aftermath of Raila’s loss
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There will be a lot of blame game. People will say baba did not do as mush as expected, baba is tired because he is too old, those people used more money, Ruto just wanted to humiliate baba and was not genuine in his support.
Resources Ruto deployed to support Raila
The opposition boss thanked Ruto for whole-heartedly supporting his bid, deploying all resources at his disposal to secure victory for Kenya’s candidate.
I want to say that Ruto (and his government) did everything possible to support this campaign. They gave me all the logistical support I needed, that enable d me to traverse the continent and made appointments for me to meet all leaders in the continent.
Moving on from AUC loss
He challenged Kenyans to move on from the events of Saturday, February 15, 2025 and focus on nation-building.
Raila confirmed that the decision to join the AUC chairmanship race was an individual decision which he made consciously without any coercion and he is at peace with the outcome.
I made the decision myself and announced that I wanted to run for this position. Ruto only came and said he wanted to support me when I had already made the decision.
Raila: We were sure of a win but other factors came up
He stated that despite an elaborate campaign with the full backing of the President, other factors came into play, leading to his loss at the ballot, with Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf winning the contest.
Actually we were sure of a win but as I said other factors have come into play and those factors are going to come out and will be known.
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He confirmed that he will attend a thanksgiving rally organzed by female Orange Democratic Movement politicians, asserting that regardless of the outcome of the vote, it is still a victory for Kenya.