by Peter Mutai
NAIROBI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya said Monday it is confident that its Foreign Affairs Minister Amina Mohamed will win the position of the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson during next week's AU summit in Ethiopia.
Fred Matiangi, chair of the team campaigning for Mohamed's AUC stewardship, said her nomination has been welcomed by 51 countries including members of the East African Community (EAC) and Common Market Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which formally endorsed the candidate.
"Our special envoys are visiting Benin and Guinea Bissau, the only remaining countries this week to ensure that the whole 53 countries vote for Kenya's candidate," Matiangi told journalists in Nairobi.
Matiangi termed Mohamed, who has served in various positions within Kenya and globally, a respected international leader, who has negotiated improved trade agreements and understands the good governance.
He said that Mohamed will be instrumental in driving the implementation of AU's vision 2063 since she has strong credentials given her previous service to the country.
"It is now time for Kenya to make a contribution in making Africa a better prosperous continent," he added.
Mohamed is contesting to replace the outgoing AUC Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa, whose terms comes to an end next week.
Dlamini-Zuma, who has been the AUC chairperson since 2012, did not apply for a second term during the earlier nomination process.
Other aspiring candidates include Guinea's Foreign Minister Agapito Mba Mokuy, Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat, Senegal's Professor Abdoulaye Bathily and Dr. Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi from Botswana.
During the July 2016 Kigali summit in Kigali, Rwanda, elections were held with three contestants: Venson-Moitoi, Mokuy and Dr. Specioza Kazibwe, Uganda's frmer vice-President.
None of them failed to garner two-thirds of the vote and 30 countries abstained from voting hence allowing the reopening for the process afresh.
The window allowed the entry of Mahamat of Chad, Bathily, the UN Special Representative from Senegal and Kenya's Mohamed. Uganda's candidate bowed out from the race.
According to the common practice, the key posts of the AU Chairperson, AUC Chairperson and the deputy and that of peace and Security Council cannot come from the same region.
The elections are due to be held next Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the 28th Summit whose theme is "Harnessing the demographic dividend through investment in youth."
