Kenya and Rwanda have withdrawn their candidacies from the forthcoming African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) elections, just days before foreign ministers convene in Addis Ababa to vote, reshaping what had been one of the continent’s most competitive regional contests.
The late withdrawals come as the mandates of ten PSC members expire on March 30, marking the end of a two-year term for representatives elected during the AU’s 37th Ordinary Assembly in February 2024.
Under the AU protocol, PSC seats are distributed regionally: three for West Africa; two each for Central, Eastern and Southern Africa; and one for North Africa. Of the outgoing members, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone are seeking re-election, while North and Southern Africa have no incumbents returning to the race.
The final vote will be cast by continental foreign ministers meeting ahead of the AU leaders’ summit in Addis Ababa.
According to Addis-based policy institute Amani Africa, the Eastern African field had initially exceeded the number of available seats by more than double — a pattern the think tank describes as typical of the region’s fragmented consensus politics.
Yet the withdrawals of Rwanda and Kenya, alongside an earlier exit by Comoros, have dramatically reduced competition.
Contrary to assumptions that such moves signal quiet regional coordination, Amani Africa argues the late exits instead reflect a lack of alignment among Eastern African states rather than a deliberate “clean slate” strategy often used elsewhere to avoid divisive ballots.
The think tank notes that heightened competition does not necessarily equate to deeper commitment to the PSC’s mandate, which centres on conflict prevention, crisis management and continental security coordination.
In recent years, the erosion of consensus practices, once common in Southern and West African blocs, has mirrored broader geopolitical tensions that increasingly test trust among member states.
In this context, PSC membership is widely viewed as a strategic platform through which governments safeguard national and regional interests.
With Kenya and Rwanda out of contention, Uganda, Djibouti and Somalia remain the principal candidates for Eastern Africa’s two seats.
Somalia’s bid is particularly notable, as it has never previously served on the PSC, although it holds representation at the United Nations Security Council.
Rwanda’s earlier setback, having failed to secure sufficient votes in a February 2025 ballot, foreshadowed the present recalibration, while Kenya’s last tenure on the council ran from April 2019 to March 2022.
