Campaign Tracker: Elections update as of June 9
Were elections to be held today, Raila Odinga would beat his closest rival, Deputy President William Ruto, according to an Infotrak poll, which was dismissed by the DP moments after the results were released.
Who can understand the ways of Nairobi ex-governor Mike Sonko, who failed to show up for a crucial electoral commission meeting to air his complaints, barely a day after he stormed the agency’s offices on Tuesday demanding an audience with officials?
Also, a governor candidate initially blocked by the elections agency before being cleared pulled a surprise move by dropping his running mate and picking a 29-year-old as his deputy governor-designate!
The campaign tracker compiles all these for you. Here is all you need to know about Kenya’s politics as of June 9.
1. Raila ahead of Ruto in latest Infotrak Poll
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua lead in a new Infotrak poll at 42 percent, while Kenya Kwanza’s William Ruto and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua follow at 38 percent.
The poll said Mr Odinga would garner 9.3 million votes and DP Ruto 8.4 million, and that the former would lead in 20 counties while the latter would lead in 16 counties.
"We conducted the poll between May 27 and 29, and had 9,000 interviews carried out in all the 47 counties. It also said 290 constituencies were covered with a margin of + or - 1," Infotrak Research CEO Angela Ambitho said.
The poll conducted after the selection of running mates shows that Dr Ruto’s popularity has dropped from 42 per cent in the last month while Mr Odinga’s popularity has remained the same.
Ms Ambitho also attributed the fall in DP Ruto’s popularity to the naming of running mates.
"What we see in this research is that the naming of the running mates had a great impact on the popularity of the candidates in some regions," she added.
Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga speaking at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on June 6, 2022 during his manifesto launch.
2. Sonko fails to show up for IEBC meeting to present his complaints a day after storming its Mombasa offices
Mike Sonko, the Wiper party aspirant for Mombasa governor, yesterday failed to turn up for a meeting with the IEBC as directed.
On Tuesday, Mombasa Returning Officer Swalhah Yusuf failed to clear the former Nairobi governor and asked him to return to their Kenya School of Government offices for further instructions.
Ms Yusuf had asked Mr Sonko to present a court order that quashed an earlier directive blocking him from being cleared for breaching article 75 of the Constitution.
The IEBC county boss had maintained that she would not clear Mr Sonko because he had presented his papers past the official time, but his team said they were submitting the documents and were in the clearance hall when the time lapsed.
However, Ms Yusuf referred the matter to the IEBC's Dispute Resolution Committee.
“The orders from the High Court have restricted IEBC from clearing Mr Sonko for [breaching the] Constitution. Once we get fresh orders we shall abide by them,” said Ms Yusuf.
Sources in Mr Sonko’s team said his lawyers were burning the midnight oil to secure a court order to present it to the IEBC today as directed.
Mombasa governorship hopeful Mike Sonko.
3. Azimio opens office at place Raila was ejected in 2007
A team campaigning for Mr Odinga in Mathira constituency has opened an office in a building owned by a Karatina business woman who in 2007 forcibly ejected Mr Odinga and his entourage from her hotel.
Ms Lucy Weru, whose daughter is married to one of the sons of the late President Kibaki, hit the headlines when she flushed out Mr Odinga from her hotel in the run-up to the 2007 General Election in which President Kibaki was seeking re-election and was facing a serious challenge from Mr Odinga.
Mathira constituency is the political backyard of DP Ruto's running mate, Mr Gachagua. Pundits believe that the mere opening of the Azimio office is a major political statement to the Kenya Kwanza brigade that their rivals are making significant inroads in Central Kenya.
Last year, while addressing residents of Nyeri County at the Kabiruini grounds, Mr Odinga recalled the incident, saying he had forgiven the woman and that he had agreed with his allies to have a cup of tea with her.
“There was a time I was kicked out of a hotel in Karatina but I forgave that lady. Now we have agreed that I will have a cup of tea at her home. We want to see Kenyans more united than ever,” he said.
In an interview in her office on Wednesday, Ms Weru said she had no personal grudge against Mr Odinga and had no problem sharing a cup of tea with him.
Ms Lucy Weru (centre) is pictured with the late president Mwai Kibaki at a past event.
4. NIS, DP Ruto and reversed roles with Raila on national intelligence
Deputy President William Ruto accused the government of abuse of intelligence information and services to the advantage of his main competitor, Mr Odinga.
In a letter, the DP’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) raised complaints with the Intelligence Service Complaints Board over what they termed misuse of national security organs to advance the political interests of Mr Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition.
Mr Odinga has been endorsed by President Uhuru Kenyatta for the presidency and has enjoyed the presence of key Cabinet Secretaries and government officials, some of whom have openly expressed confidence that the former prime minister will win in August.
The party said the use of NIS as a political tool to further the interests of a political party poses a threat to a peaceful electoral process.
This, UDA says, will lead to the compromising of the electoral process “through the unlawful, unconstitutional and reckless use of intelligence information”.
Deputy President William Ruto. He has opened a new war front with the State over what he says is abuse of intelligence information and services to the advantage of his main competitor, Mr Raila Odinga.
5. Irungu Kang’ata drops running mate, picks 29-year-old for the job
Murang'a governor candidate Irungu Kang'ata closed the day with a swift change of his running mate, ditching 53-year-old Dr Winfred Mwangi and in her place appointing Stephen Mburu Munania, 29.
Both Dr Mwangi and Mr Munania hail from Gatanga sub-county.
This was after the IEBC on Monday suspended clearing Dr Kang'ata on the grounds that Dr Mwangi had not resigned from the University of Nairobi by the February 9 deadline.
But at 9pm, Dr Kang'ata took to his social media platforms to announce a new running mate and attached what he called a joint press statement with Dr Mwangi to explain the flip-flop.
He explained that the intrigues started on Monday and spilled over into Tuesday when "we appeared before Murang'a County returning officer for clearance to vie for Murang'a gubernatorial seat under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party".
6. UDA finally gets its gubernatorial candidate in Raila’s Siaya backyard
Ms Millicent Oduor, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) aspirant for Siaya governor, was finally cleared by the IEBC after a tribunal allowed her to choose another running mate.
Ms Oduor’s candidacy was revoked just hours after she was cleared, when county returning officer Catherine Bulinda discovered that her running mate, Ms Goretty Atieno, had not resigned from her job at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The law requires all government employees to resign at least six months before elections.
She is the only female candidate contesting the seat that has attracted four candidates.
“After review, the IEBC tribunal gave her a chance to choose another running mate after Ms Atieno was disqualified. She is now free to campaign as she is the official candidate for the UDA party,” said Ms Bulinda.
The IEBC has cleared three other candidates to contest the county’s top seat – Mr Nicholas Gumbo (UDM), Mr James Orengo (ODM) and Mr William Ochieng (independent).
Siaya County gubernatorial candidate Millicent Oduor. She will fly the UDA flag in the upcoming polls.
