By Tajeu Shadrack Nkapapa
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has reiterated his robust support for former Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga in the latter’s pursuit of the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship. He emphasized that Hon. Odinga is the most qualified individual to advocate for the interests of African nations and to promote the implementation of significant reforms.
Hon. Raila Odinga is seeking to succeed Moussa Faki Mahamat, whose term is coming to an end. The elections are slated for February 25, 2025.
Hon. Wetang’ula spoke during the courtesy call by the representatives of the Pan- African Parliament in his office on Wednesday.
“Kenya has a strong candidate for AUC Chairperson. When you go back home, ask your Foreign Ministers and Presidents to support him,” Mr. Wetangula said.
The delegation consisted of representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Zambia, Tunisia, and Kenya. Their visit to the country is part of a fact-finding mission aimed at identifying solutions to combat climate change and desertification, with the goal of promoting effective soil management to improve food security.
“Everything is being done on the soil, among them mining, agriculture among others. The question of soil management is a matter that needs urgent redress,” stated Hon. Sakata Garry, the Chairman.
Wetang’ula noted that while Africa was resource-rich and had great potential, its population was still largely poor and yet to reap the benefits of its sub – soil resources, hence an urgent need to develop strategies that will turn the tide.
“Africa lives on the soils. However we produce what we don’t consume and consume what we don’t produce,” he stated.
Although the Pan-African Parliament primarily serves an advisory function, Speaker Wetang’ula commended the team for spearheading the development of legislation focused on soil management in Africa, emphasizing the importance of effective soil management in addressing food security and mitigating climate change.
“Over the last 30 months or so, our country has been lucky as there has been constant rain in the food basket, we are sugar-sufficient, we are sufficient in cereal (maize) but when the rain stops, we are back to the drawing board. We need to move away from rain-fed agriculture and go back to storing rain and stormwater and embrace engineered agriculture,” Wetang’ula added.
The National Assembly Speaker, a key figure in the establishment of the Pan-African Parliament, reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the delegation.
He emphasized the importance of prioritizing soil restoration and suggested addressing issues such as wind and water erosion, elevated acidity levels, and overall inadequate soil management practices.