Campaign Tracker: Eight things you need to know about the Kenya elections as at June 3
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga (left) and Kenya Kwanza's William Ruto.
Time is whizzing past and the campaign trail is getting hotter. You blink and the torrential series of events pass you by. Here is all you need to know about the fast-paced campaign season as of June 3.
Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga (left) and his Kenya Kwanza counterpart William Ruto.
Deputy President William Ruto trashed claims that his main competitor in the August 9 presidential race, ODM leader Raila Odinga, is leading with a popularity rating of 60 percent as declared by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.
Instead, the DP said while campaigning in Makueni that he was eight percentage points ahead of Mr Odinga,
This was after PS Kibicho said that government intelligence reports had shown that Mr Odinga would win the presidency by garnering 60 per cent of the total vote if elections were held around this time.
“I am the Deputy President. I get intelligence reports, right after the President receives them. No other person can claim to have access to any other intelligence report,” DP Ruto said.
“In fact, the true picture of those reports is that we in Kenya Kwanza are leading by eight percentage points. They should look for other ways to market their candidate.”
He said he would release the genuine figures and asked Kenyans to ignore the statistics being peddled by "misguided employees” of the government, adding that “we do not work with perceptions, we are guided by researched facts and that is as it is”.
Azimio presidential aspirant Raila Odinga (right) and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka officially dropped his presidential run and rejoined Azimio la Umoja and promised to rally his supporters behind the Azimio presidential aspirant, Mr Odinga.
In addition, Mr Musyoka, addressing reporters at his SKM centre in Nairobi, accepted the Chief Cabinet Secretary position that was offered to him by Mr Odinga last month when he unveiled Martha Karua as his running mate.
"I want to congratulate my sister Martha for being chosen as Mr Odinga's running mate," he said, adding that he unequivocally supports the nomination of the Narc Kenya leader.
The Wiper party leader was expected to appear before the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Saturday for registration as a presidential candidate, but this will now not happen following his announcement.
This even after he had announced his solo presidential run on May 16, the same day Mr Odinga nominated Ms Karua as his running mate.
Mr Musyoka’s Damascus moment, many believe, came after resolutions passed by Wiper leaders from the Ukambani region to have him work with the Azimio team.
Some professionals from the region had also disclosed that the interests of the community would be met by Azimio and urged the former vice-president to reconsider his candidacy.
Deputy President William Ruto during Hustlers Cup football tournament finals at PCEA Thirime Primary School in Kikuyu Constituency on June 1, 2022.
Deputy President William Ruto will not be attending the planned and much anticipated presidential debate, alleging media bias against his campaign.
A statement issued by the director of communications for Dr Ruto’s presidential campaign, Hussein Mohammed, cited "unequal allocation of coverage, compounded by biased framing and negative profiling of the Kenya Kwanza alliance campaign and personalities affiliated to it".
He added: "We expect the media to play their rightful role in cultivating a healthy, robust and inclusive discourse. Our democracy depends on the media to make our political environment less divisive and less toxic.
"Under the current partisan media environment, we have advised our candidate against participating in the presidential debates."
Deputy President William Ruto addressing a rally in Karaba trading centre, Embu County, on May 29, 2022.
DP Ruto claimed that one million registered voters in his strongholds have been removed from the roll.
He said this on Thursday during a breakfast meeting with European Union envoys and urged them and others to get as much detail as they could from the electoral commission regarding the “disappearance” of one million names from the electoral register.
“And many of those names are from what we consider our stronghold. It is a clear attempt to try some monkey games,” DP Ruto said.
He is now demanding answers from the electoral commission and has urged other bodies such as the EU to join the quest in ensuring free and fair elections.
“We do not believe they will succeed but these attempts are a source of concern to Kenyans. We are ready to work with the electoral commission and friends to deliver credible elections,” he added.
In response, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati denied the claim.
“I want to assure them that the register of voters is intact. I want to assure them that their data is safe; the register has not been breached and we shall have a final register by June 9. We had 19.6 million registered voters in 2017, and now we have 22.5 million. That register is under audit,” he said.
However, the IEBC boss noted that there were cases of 166,000 people who registered more than once and said that that would be removed by the end of the audit.
Roots Party of Kenya leader Prof George Wajakoyah in court on May 18, 2022.
Roots Party presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah’s presidential bid is now a reality after the IEBC chairman, Mr Chebukati, said that he had met all the requirements.
This was Mr Wajackoyay's second chance at presenting his papers after his first attempt was rejected earlier on Monday because he had failed to meet the requirement on signatures from supporters.
"I want to confirm that the supporters’ list you have submitted has met the requirements. We can confirm you have the minimum supporters required for this exercise and on that ground, we have accepted your application for nomination as a presidential candidate and will issue you with a certificate," Mr Chebukati told the Roots party leader on Thursday at the Bomas of Kenya.
The aspirants are required to present 2,000 signatures per county from at least 24 devolved units, but Prof Wajackoyah, who has caused excitement due to his antics and stand on bhang, had presented signatures from only 17 counties. However, he had complied with other requirements in the presidential checklist.
“You have complied with all documentations except the supporters list. Only 17 counties are compliant. The others have shortfalls. You need a minimum of seven (more) to meet the requirements,” Mr Chebukati had said on Monday.
“Therefore, I have to reject your application today and give you an opportunity on June 2 at 3pm to comply.”
Prof Wajackoyah and his running mate Justina Wamae then said they would comply with the requirements, exuding confidence they would be on the ballot on August 9, and they did just that yesterday.
Governor Lee Kinyanjui (Left) speaks with Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri during the Madaraka celebrations at Kiamaina, Bahati.
Political temperatures in Nakuru are rising after Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri’s open endorsement of Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui rattled Senator Susan Kihika, who is seeking to unseat the county boss.
During Madaraka Day celebrations at Kiamaina in Bahati constituency, Mr Ngunjiri, a key ally of Deputy President William Ruto, just like Senator Kihika, openly drummed up support for Mr Kinyanjui, urging his constituents to vote for him in the August 9 polls.
"I want to urge residents of Bahati to be keen while voting in the forthcoming General Election. In Nakuru County, jibu ni Lee and in Bahati, jibu ni Ngunjiri," he said amid applause from the crowd.
Not taking the Bahati MP’s actions lightly, Ms Kihika resorted to social media to announce her intentions to send both Mr Ngunjiri and Governor Kinyanjui home in the August elections.
"Ati yule jamaa wa Bahati amesema nini leo? Kama maneno iko hivyo na mimi ninasema watu wangu wa Bahati roundi hii tucheze kama sisi, kwani iko nini. Waende home na Governor Kinyanjui” (I hear that man from Bahati has endorsed my rival. If that is the case, I urge my people of Bahati to ensure the two go home," Ms Kihika wrote on her Facebook page.
President Uhuru Kenyatta makes his remarks during the opening of the international environment meeting dubbed ‘Stockholm+50’ which he co-chaired with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Stockholm, Sweden.
President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday joined world leaders at the Stockholm+50 conference.
The Head of State was to co-chair the two-day meeting ending today with the host, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
Before the President arrived in Sweden, Kenya’s ambassador Diana Kiambuthi said President Kenyatta would be leading the Kenyan delegation not just as a co-chair of the meeting but also as a global champion on environmental matters.
“So His Excellency the President will be here (Stockholm) to articulate Kenya’s position on the environmental debate regarding issues to do with climate change, nature and biodiversity loss.”
Ms Kiambuthi added that Stockholm+50 is also a commemoration of the first-ever international meeting on the environment held in Stockholm in 1972 that led to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), headquartered in Nairobi.
Stockholm+50 comes between the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) and UNEP@ 50 held in Nairobi earlier this year and the 2022 UN Oceans Conference that Kenya and Portugal will co-host in Lisbon from June 27 to July 1.
Besides the Stockholm+50 meeting, President Kenyatta will also chair a special high-level segment on “the road to Lisbon” for the Oceans Conference as well as hold bilateral meetings with other leaders focusing on the global action on climate change.
On the bilateral front, Ms Kiambuthi said Kenya has enjoyed cordial bilateral relations with the Nordic country for many decades.
Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu.
Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu has lost control of his assets after they were frozen by the High Court pending the determination of a forfeiture suit filed by the anti-corruption watchdog.
The frozen assets include 18 parcels of land owned by Mr Waititu and his wife Susan Wangari. Also frozen are their six motor vehicles and one tractor.
In the order issued by Justice Esther Maina, the court restrained them and their agents from transferring, selling or charging the assets pending the determination of the case. The judge directed that the case be mentioned on June 16 for hearing directions.
