Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Commission chairperson, Raila Odinga, will face his main opponents in a live televised debate tonight, which will be broadcast across the continent.
The Africa Leadership Debate, or Mjadala Afrika Leadership Debate, will air from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM East African Time.
Raila will be debating against Mahmoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato from Madagascar.
This debate provides an opportunity for the candidates to present their vision for leading Africa’s transformation.
The event, which will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will be broadcast in all six official working languages of the African Union: English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. Moderators will also collect questions from the public to ask the candidates.
WHERE TO WATCH
The Star will provide a live link to the debate, and it will also be available on national channels across participating countries.
To watch the debate on the-star.co.ke, click here.
Additionally, the debate will be livestreamed on the African Union’s website, as well as on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
The debate will be available in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili, the official languages of the African Union.
The first Mjadala took place in 2016, with five candidates participating. In 2020, the debate did not occur as there was no challenge to the re-election of Chad’s Moussa Faki. To secure the position, Raila needs a two-thirds majority of the 55 countries that will vote. However, geopolitics, language, and religion will play a significant role in the outcome.
Currently, six countries—Sudan, Gabon, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea—are suspended due to conflicts or political instability, meaning Raila needs at least 33 votes to succeed Faki.