Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga now says his meeting with President William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni in Uganda on Monday was not planned.
Speaking on Wednesday, February 28 during the Homa Bay County International Investment Conference Raila said he had gone to Uganda to visit President Museveni to seek his support for his African Union Commission Chairmanship bid.
The former Prime Minister noted that President Ruto had also scheduled a meeting with the Ugandan President to discuss the oil importation saga between the two nations.
“I have been running around trying to get support from different heads of state I was with some in Namibia the other day and I went to the President of Uganda after I had talked to him to go and ask for his support and then we met there with Mr. Ruto who had also gone there to talk about the issues they are having with oil the g-to-g. He was with his minister for energy,” said Raila.
The opposition chief mentioned that they discussed about his candidature for the African Union Commission chairmanship and asked the two Presidents to back him.
“After we talked about my candidature, they talked about the issue of oil among themselves but I asked for their support and both of them agreed that they would support me. President Museveni said he will be the one to propose me as the chair of the African Union Commission,” Raila added.
His remarks contradict his Statement on Monday in which he said Museveni had invited him for a joint meeting with Ruto, in which his AUC candidacy was discussed and both Heads of State resolved to support it.
“Several days ago, I accepted an invitation from President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for a joint meeting with President William Ruto today to discuss the deepening of regional integration within the East African Community,” Raila said in a statement posted on February 26, 2024.
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