Monica Juma, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Energy, has withdrawn from the race for the Commonwealth Secretary-General seat.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday cited division within the Commonwealth as the reason behind Juma’s withdrawal from the race. The ministry stated that Kenya had mobilized a majority of member states in support of Juma’s candidature, but some were non-committal on their decision.
“Because the Commonwealth is a fraternal body, consensus is very important when it comes to a change of leadership. Kenya had managed to mobilize a majority of member states, over 30 of them, in support of Monica Juma.”
“We still had a few who felt that they were not yet ready. In the interest of harmony and fraternal relations with the Commonwealth we felt that we will back away from the contest for now,” reads the statement.
Kenya nominated CS Juma for the position in August last year, with President Kenyatta describing her as a leader with an indisputable track record of strategic leadership, management, representation, and knowledge of government.
“I have no doubt that Amb. Monica Juma will be a strong consensus candidate, who will deliver an effective Secretariat driven by member state priorities.”
“She will help bolster unity amongst the Commonwealth family, and also enhance innovative partnership that optimizes the impact of our organization,” Kenyatta said in a statement.
The Commonwealth is a political association of 54 member states from Africa, Asia, America, Europe, and the Pacific. Nearly all member states are former territories of the British empire.
Elections for the secretary-general seat will be held in Kigali, Rwanda in June this year during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for promoting and protecting the Commonwealth’s values, representing the Commonwealth publicly, and the management of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
