{UAH} Kazibwe: Why I deserve AU job
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Specioza Wandira KazibweAt next week's 27th African Union (AU) summit in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, African heads of state will among other things elect a new chairperson for the AU commission.
Uganda's former vice president Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe is among the three candidates in the running to be chosen at the assembly and summit, which will run from July 10 to 17. The other contenders for the job are; Equatorial Guinea's Agapito Mba Mokuy and Botswana's Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.
Kazibwe is largely the East Africa Community (EAC) candidate having received the endorsement of the EAC summit early this year in time for the March 31 deadline for candidates to express interest.
Kazibwe spent the Eid-ul-fitri holidays canvassing support in the Francophone countries with the hope of swaying them away from Mokuy who stands a chance of taking a block vote from most French-peaking nations and members of the west African economic bloc; Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
OUR TURN
On July 3, Kazibwe flew to the Chadian capital N'Djamena to lobby the country's head of state Idriss Derby, the current chairman of the AU summit. She, however, did not meet Derby but instead met the Prime Minister, Albert Payimi Padacke, to whom she explained why she is a better choice for the job.
"I am very conversant with issues of the African Union. When I was still vice president, I was involved in drafting plans for the African Union, participated in planning for agriculture, trade and industry," Kazibwe told Padacke.
Specioza Wandira Kazibwe with Gabon President Ali BongoAccording to a statement by Sarah Kagingo, the head of communication for Kazibwe's AU bid, Kazibwe argues that with North Africa not fielding a candidate, it should be East Africa's turn to take over from South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
She said that her election by East African presidents to the panel of the wise (PoW) of the African Union opened her to issues of peace and security in Africa. It is that experience that she hopes to use to implement the agreement by African heads of state to silence guns by 2020.
Kazibwe's main challenge is from Mokuy, a rich former advisor to Equatorial Guinea's president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Although some sections of Africa look at him as inexperienced in AU affairs, Uganda fears Kazibwe could lose should West Africa and the francophone countries vote as a block.
On Tuesday, the speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, and the leader of the opposition in Parliament Winfred Kiiza gave Kazibwe's campaign a boost with a trip to the Republic of Congo to lobby Denis Sassou Nguessou.
From Brazaville, Kadaga and Kiiza are expected to travel to Central African Republic and Cameroon to farther market Kazibwe's bid while a government team mainly comprising of ministers and former ministers will visit other African countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) economic bloc. Despite coming from SADC, the candidature of Botswana's Moitoi is said to be not so popular given that Ian Khama, the country's president, does not attend AU summit meetings.
WHY KAZIBWE?
In her engagements with various African governments, Kazibwe is riding on her involvement in women development initiatives to promote her candidature. For instance, during her meeting with Padacke, Kazibwe spoke of how her experience in women initiatives would help the AU in supporting regional economic communities (RECs).
Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe (R) with Uganda Speaker of Parliament Rebecca KadagaPointing out that leadership of the AU commission is work that requires a robust person, Kazibwe has tried to impress the African heads of state with her curriculum vitae (CV) that outlines the various portfolios she has held as a cabinet minister in Uganda and her membership to a number of world commissions such as ending hunger, world water, and as an advisor to several countries' development programs and the International Food Policy Institute.
"I present myself as one seasoned in [the] affairs of government and the AU; I have given support to programming of the AU and Agenda 2063," Kazibwe has told the African presidents she has met. The AU commission chairperson is elected by an electoral college constituted by the heads of state.
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