Campaign Tracker: Key events in Kenyan elections as of July 18

Politics is fuelled by money, and money flowed as Kenyans ushered in the weekend, with some people forking out up to Sh10 million for one plate during Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate’s dinner late Friday night.

The Kenya Kwanza alliance presidential candidate, Deputy President William Ruto, not only assured the clergy at the weekend that he would safeguard their interests but also accused Mr Odinga’s campaign of being funded by “Covid-19” billionaires. 

At least 180 election observers have been deployed to Kenya ahead of the General Election by the European Union to monitor the situation across the country.

Here is all you need to know about Kenya’s elections as of July 18.

Inside Raila’s ‘Sh1 million per plate’ dinner

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga raised hundreds of millions of shillings for his campaigns during an exclusive dinner where attendees paid up to Sh1 million for a meal.

The Friday night fundraiser held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi attracted deep-pocketed politicians and private sector tycoons, mostly from the Mt Kenya Foundation, a billionaire’s club.

Mr Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua used the platform to spell out their strategy of fighting corruption if they form the next government, with corporate heads pushing the pair to elaborate on their plans for fighting graft, which has been blamed for crippling Kenya’s economy.

Attendees and top Azimio officials yesterday remained guarded on the total amount collected at the fundraiser that came only three weeks before the polls.

Invitation cards showed that the attendees paid Sh10 million for 10 guests under the corporate category, Sh5 million for five guests under the ‘premier’ category and Sh2 million for three guests under the ‘platinum’ plan.

Under the ‘gold’ category, attendees paid Sh1 million for two guests and Sh500,000 for a single guest under the ‘silver’ category.

The head of Mr Odinga’s campaigns and Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi said the event, which started at about 6pm and ended at 11pm, attracted about 500 guests booked under both the corporate and individual categories.

A senior Azimio official said that some of the invited guests donated as much as Sh10 million each.

Mr Odinga's campaign secretariat spokesperson Prof Makau Mutua told the Sunday Nation that the fundraiser was a success. “I cannot say (the amount collected) but we exceeded our expectations,” he said.

Some notable guests at the event were Mt Kenya Foundation chairperson Peter Munga, Royal Media Services owner S.K Macharia, former KRA commissioner-general John Njiraini, Centum Investment CEO James Mworia, Nairobi Securities Exchange chairman Kiprono Kittony and businessman Sam Wakiaga.

Uhuru starts a three-day state visit to Seychelles

President Uhuru Kenyatta started a three-day state visit to Seychelles on Sunday following an invitation by President Wavel Ramkalawan when the two met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February.

President Kenyatta is expected to hold bilateral talks with his host before witnessing the signing of various agreements focused on deepening the socio-economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

President Kenyatta is also scheduled to address an extra-ordinary session of the Seychelles National Assembly, besides other engagements of mutual interest between the two countries.

Kenya and Seychelles cooperate in many areas, including trade, maritime security and the fight against piracy, the blue economy, parliamentary exchanges, youth and sports, culture and fisheries.

This is the first state visit by President Kenyatta to the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

European Union deploys election observers to Kenya

The European Union has deployed 48 long-term observers in 39 counties in preparation for the August 9 General Election, following an invitation by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The observers, who arrived three weeks ago and have been deployed in teams of two, are part of the EU Election Observation Mission and are part of efforts to support Kenya’s democratic institutions.

Among them is an election technology analyst who will assess the use of technologies in different phases of the election process. There is also a social media analyst, leading a team of six social media observers to monitor the use of social media, digital communication and traditional media, including local language radio stations.

“The forthcoming general elections in Kenya will be crucial for citizens to determine what future lies ahead; for electoral stakeholders to showcase their commitment to democracy, with fair competition among candidates in peaceful elections; and for the region at large to promote stability,” said EU representative Josep Borrell.

Jumwa, Kingi betrayed me, Raila says

The Azimio team yesterday wound up its three-day campaign in the region Coast in Kilifi County, where the coalition’s leaders hit out at rivals “for confusing voters”.

Its presidential candidate, Mr Odinga, and his running mate, Ms Karua, asked supporters to ring-fence the region by voting for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) next month.

Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa and Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, who won the 2017 elections on ODM tickets, are the high-profile politicians who ditched the party to join DP Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.

Mr Odinga said Mr Kingi and Ms Jumwa were misleading Coast residents “who have all along supported us”.

Mr Kingi has formed the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party, which is one of the Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties.

“Kingi started by saying that the people of Kilifi did not want ODM so he formed PAA. He later joined the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya alliance but jumped to Kenya Kwanza within no time. He is an indecisive and selfish leader,” Mr Odinga told a rally in Marafa.

Mr Odinga said the governor is ungrateful “as I played a big role in ensuring he became Magarini MP in the run-up to winning the Kilifi governor position in 2013 and 2017”.

I will protect you, Ruto promises the clergy

DP Ruto on Saturday vowed to safeguard the freedom of worship by protecting religious institutions and ensuring more churches are registered.

The UDA presidential candidate also dismissed recent opinion polls that placed his main challenger, Mr Odinga, ahead of him in the race to succeed President Kenyatta.

Dr Ruto, who spoke at a prayer organised by the Association of Pentecostal and Evangelical Clergy of Kenya at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, hailed the role that the Church has played in society and thanked clerics for making their stand known on the August 9 polls.

“Together with my running mate, we will do everything possible to keep this country a God-fearing nation. We commit that there will be no church that will be closed during our watch and we shall get rid of hindrances for the registration of churches,” Dr Ruto said.

Ms Dorcas Gachagua, wife of Dr Ruto’s running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, and the organiser of the prayer event, drummed up support for the pair to take on the leadership mantle from President Kenyatta.

“Our nation has gone through a lot of pressure and it is high time that we choose leaders who will place this country on the right path. Come the ninth of August, we will have a leader who reveres God and who will unite the country,” she said.

Addressing a series of campaign rallies after the prayer event in Nairobi, Mr Gachagua accused the President of using state resources to campaign for Mr Odinga.

Raila being funded by Covid-19 billionaires, Ruto says

DP Ruto took his campaigns to Kiambu County and claimed that his main opponent, Mr Odinga, is being funded by Covid-19 billionaires.

The Covid-19 scandal emerged at the height of the pandemic. Shadowy and influential individuals pocketed more than Sh7.8 billion through flawed procurement at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) and received tenders to supply face masks and testing kits whose prices were grossly exaggerated.

Dr Ruto said the Azimio presidential candidate has no moral authority to lecture the Kenya Kwanza coalition on how to fight corruption “yet they are beneficiaries of corruption and looting of public resources”.

‘‘You are giving us lectures on fighting corruption ... when you are hostages of state capture,” he said in Ruiru.

The DP added that his administration would give state agencies that fight corruption the independence to do their work through funding and new laws.

The Kenya Kwanza presidential flag-bearer added that his government would lower National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) monthly subscriptions for the self-employed from Sh500 to Sh300.

He said vulnerable and poor families would access healthcare for free.

Ugandan court allows investigations into Sakaja’s degree

The high court in Uganda has given the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) the go-ahead to investigate the academic certificates Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja obtained from Teams University in Kampala.

The university had initially asked the court to block the NCHE from investigating whether the politician, who is vying for the Nairobi governor’s seat, was indeed a student there.

A degree is among the qualifications required of governor candidates.

The court ruled that Team University’s petition was unreasonable.

The court said the matter was being investigated by the inspector-general of police in Uganda.

The university had gone to court and wanted NCHE to be stopped from investigating the matter.

In Kenya, High Court Judge Antony Mrima on Tuesday, July 12, threw out a petition by Mr Dennis Gakuu, a civilian who challenged the validity of his degree.

Sonko vows to take his case to the East Africa Court of Justice

Former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko has vowed that his bid to be included on the ballot for the Mombasa governor’s race is not yet over even after the Supreme Court dealt him a huge blow in his attempt to overturn his 2020 impeachment.

Mr Sonko’s came as Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati said in Luanda, Vihiga County, that the commission would decide on Tuesday whether his name would be on the ballot.

Mr Sonko was earlier in the week cleared to contest in the August 9 elections before the Supreme Court last Friday upheld his December 2020 impeachment.

The apex court held that “the impeachment of the appellant was in compliance with the Constitution and the law”.

“It bears mentioning in conclusion that Chapter Six of the Constitution was not enacted in vain or for cosmetic reasons. The authority assigned to a state officer is a public trust to be exercised in a manner that demonstrates respect for the people …,” the justices said.

But Mr Sonko yesterday said he had applied for a review of the Supreme Court’s ruling and he would cross the border to the East African Court of Justice in Arusha to file an appeal.

“I will be on the ballot. This matter is not yet over. People think that the Supreme Court is the last place to get justice, but I am also heading to the East African Court of Justice,” Mr Sonko said in an interview with NTV.