Azimio party leader Raila Odinga finally disclosed how former President Uhuru Kenyatta planned for the August 2022 General Election.
Speaking in Mombasa County on Sunday, January 8, Odinga disclosed that his handshake partner made it clear that he wanted a free and fair election.
He defended Uhuru from reports claiming he meddled in the polls or used the much-hyped and feared deep state. “Uhuru Kenyatta had said that the wanted a free and fair election and that his government would not interfere with it. What happened is known to the public,” Odinga stated.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga reads the Order of Service at the ACK Memorial Cathedral in Mombasa on Sunday, January 8, 2022.
He added that he shared Uhuru’s thinking and was confident of a win in a free and fair race.
Responding to concerns over Uhuru’s absence in Azimio, he affirmed that the coalition’s chairperson was still an active member.
Raila maintained that the truth about the elections that saw President William Ruto declared winner would soon be unveiled.
“There is the gospel according to Mathew (Wafula Chebukati), Siant Mark (Juliana Cherera) and Luke (Jackson Ole Sapit), and there is the gospel according to Saint John.
“Saint John will lift the lid on what exactly happened at the Bomas of Kenya. Many are waiting for me to speak but I will wait for him to speak before I do,” he explained.
The Azimio chief criticised Ruto for reportedly turning the altar into a political pulpit, condemning the latest attacks on him during church services.
He asked the President not to use the church to publicise projects that his government undertake or engage in pro-government politicking.
Nonetheless, he reiterated his clarion call to governors in opposition to liaising with the current administration for development.
In December 2022, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino revealed that he urged former Interior PS Karanja Kibicho to arrest the outgoing Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chair, Wafula Chebukati.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga arrives for a service at the ACK Memorial Cathedral in Mombasa on Sunday, January 8, 2022.
Kibicho reportedly refused to arrest Chebukati, prompting Owino to speculate that Uhuru and his allies ran a fake deep state. This was one of the instances that indicated Uhuru’s resolve to have Kenyans elect their own leader.
A few days after the polls, the former President assured the nation that he would hand over power smiling. He further congratulated Ruto on his victory and was rewarded with a special envoy role.
Months later, speculations of a Ruto-Uhuru handshake were rife, forcing Raila to deny the reports. Uhuru, nonetheless, is yet to publicly state whether he is still in Azimio or would opt out.
Analysts argued that one of the major issues keeping him underwater was that Ruto was lukewarm on investigating his administration and its role in the August 9 polls.
“I have to go slow on certain things to allow the country to get out of the mess we are in without overloading it with so many other issues, our plate is full,” Ruto stated in a televised interview on Wednesday, January 4.
