Raila Odinga at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on February12, 2025.
Kenya spent Sh523.85 million on Raila Odinga’s failed bid for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission, fresh data submitted to Parliament show.
The Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations committee on Monday disclosed that the National Treasury approved the withdrawal of the money under Article 223 of the Constitution.
Committee Chairman Nelson Koech (Belgut, United Democratic Alliance) told the National Assembly's Liaison Committee that the money was spent to charter aircraft, hotel accommodation, airport transfers, and publicity and awareness creation.
He made the disclosures when he appeared before the committee chaired by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss to present the Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations Committee report on the scrutiny of the Supplementary Budget II for 2024/25.
"The committee approves spending of Sh523.84 million for the State Department for Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs that was incurred in accordance with Article 223 of the Constitution," Mr Koech told the committee.
Article 223 of the Constitution allows the government to withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) without the approval of MPs but to a maximum of 10 percent of the approved budget of that financial year.
The spending is also limited to emergencies for which no money had been allocated in the normal budget-making process, and approval of Parliament is also required within two months after the money was first withdrawn.
The Liaison Committee is receiving department committees’ recommendations for the Sh199 billion Supplementary Budget II for 2024/25.
Sh523.84 million
The committee, which is sitting at the Trade Mark Hotel, is undertaking the exercise on behalf of the yet-to-be-constituted Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC).
Mr Koech told the committee that the Sh523.84 million was spent on international candidatures activity.
“(The) funds were utilised for Africa Union Chairmanship Campaigns (chattered aircraft hire, hotel accommodation, airport transfers, and publicity and awareness creation.” Mr Koech said in submissions to the committee.
The revelations could put to rest speculation on the amount of money that Kenya spent to campaign for Mr Odinga, who lost to long-serving Djibouti Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamoud Ali Youssouf.
Djibouti Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Juja MP George Koimbori had alleged the government spent Sh13 billion on the AUC campaigns, an allegation Mr Odinga and the government rejected as false.
Mr Koimbori was arrested days after making the allegations but was charged with forgery of academic papers and not the claims on AUC’s Sh13 billion spending.
Mr Youssouf secured the required 33 votes, defeating Mr Odinga, who dropped out after the sixth round of voting, while Madagascar’s former Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato lost in the initial rounds.
In the sixth round, Mr Youssouf garnered 26 votes against Mr Odinga’s 22.
The race for the AUC chairmanship was fiercely contested, with Mr Odinga expressing confidence throughout his campaign.
Unforeseen factors
Despite the confidence he had in winning, Mr Odinga noted that unforeseen factors influenced the results.
"We were sure we would win. But as I say, other factors have come into play,” he said.
Mr Odinga was fully backed by President William Ruto and the entire machinery of the government led by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and a campaign secretariat.
The former prime minister has since signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr Ruto on a working arrangement between the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and ODM.
President William Ruto (right) shakes hands with ODM party leader Raila Odinga during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ODM and UDA at Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi on March 07, 2025.
The political cooperation signed last Friday, March 7, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre allows the two leaders and their political parties to work together.
The 10-point plan includes the full implementation of the Nadco (National Dialogue Committee) report, inclusivity in budgetary allocations and public appointments, protection and strengthening of devolution, economic investment in youth, leadership, integrity, and the end of opulence.
It also emphasises on the right to peaceful assembly, compensation of pending claims of rights victims, audit of national debt and how it was used, fighting corruption, stopping wastage of public resources and protection of the sovereignty of the people, stopping abductions, respect for constitutionalism and the rule of law and respect press freedom.
