The East African Community officially launched Kenya's opposition leader, Raila Odinga, as its preferred candidate for the African Union Commission chairmanship on Tuesday.

The event, held at Nairobi's State House and presided over by President William Ruto, saw the attendance of several regional leaders, including Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Rwanda's Prime Minister. Burundi was represented by a high-level delegate.

However, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was notably absent, raising questions, as Somalia had nominated its own candidate to compete with Odinga but later withdrew from the race.

It is said that the Somali candidate was pressured to step down in support of the Djibouti candidate, whom Mogadishu is believed to be supporting.

President Kiir, who is also the chairperson of the East African Community, led the formalities in endorsing Odinga, who previously served as the African Union's special representative on infrastructure.

All the three foreign Presidents drummed up support for Mr Odinga terming him as a great Pan-Africanist who deserves the role.

Mr Museveni said he turned down the request by a Djibouti candidate who had visited him to seek his support.

Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, who has been at the forefront of drumming up support for Odinga, attended the launch.

Mudavadi's efforts included lobbying at the recent Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) Ministerial Meeting, where he sought backing from several African foreign ministers.

"There were over 25 foreign ministers at this conference, and we spent significant time persuading them to support the Kenyan candidate," a government official said.

"With the election set for February 2025, time is of the essence. The President has been leading efforts across the continent, and now we must intensify our follow-up and consolidate support," the official added.

Odinga's candidacy gained momentum in March when the African Union's Executive Council unanimously designated it as the Eastern Africa region's turn to nominate candidates for the chairmanship, adhering to the Statute of the AU Commission and other governing rules.