Nairobi, March 10 -- Law drafters at the African Union are making another bid that could lock out Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga by proposing to restrict the next race for the Commission chairperson's seat to female contenders.

Mr Odinga is the Kenya government-endorsed candidate to replace Chadian diplomat Moussa Faki Mahamat. But a proposal circulated to member states on Tuesday says only female contenders should be eligible in the next contest, even though the seat will be rotating to the Eastern Africa region.

The proposal is contained in the revised draft report - Preparations for the Election of Senior Leadership of the African Union Commission in February 2025.

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The repor...