Raila Regrets Uhuru’s Decision To Front Igathe As Sakaja Competitor In Nairobi gubernatorial seat
Raila Odinga, the former prime minister of Kenya, has once more emphasized the power struggle that arose within Azimio’s inner circle before the 2022 general election. Now, according to Raila, had the party chosen a more competitive candidate, Azimio would have won every critical seat in Nairobi County.
Raila expressed contrition on Wednesday, while addressing a group of religious leaders at Westlands Primary School in Nairobi, for having supported corporate executive Polycarp Igathe as the party’s candidate for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.
As per Raila, his decision to choose Igathe was an ill-advised one that continues to trouble him to this day. The primary catalyst for the decision to support Igathe in his bid to unseat incumbent governor Johnson Sakaja of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who served as the chairman of the Azimio council.
“We did not get the governor seat, not because we didn’t have people, but the candidate we had was not the right one, and that is why,” Raila said.
“Because if we won senator, we won women rep, and we won the presidency, how then did we not win governor? We could have won by far,” he added.
Raila requested that his lieutenant and Westlands member of parliament Tim Wanyonyi abandon his aspirations for the gubernatorial seat in support of the corporate executive, Azimio, before Igathe’s candidature.
Wanyonyi, regarded as the most viable contender to contend with Sakaja of the UDA, was positioned to run on Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party, which remained affiliated with Azimio. Nevertheless, Raila requested his resignation, as the party considered endorsing him as Igathe’s deputy.
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Ultimately, Wanyonyi chose to compete for re-election as a Member of Parliament for the Wetlands, while Igathe selected Philip Kaloki of the Wiper Party as his running mate.
“I am the one regretting for telling Tim to leave the seat. And Tim was humble because I told him to go for the running mate, but he told me no. He told me to let him return to Westlands. Now we are focused ahead.”
Raila expressed disappointment with the coalition’s inability to secure the gubernatorial position in Nairobi, contending that the coalition might have triumphantly secured the county’s highest office had a more advantageous candidate been selected.
Other crucial county seats were also won by Azimio, including the Senate election of Edwin Sifuna and the re-election of Woman Representative Esther Passaris.
Sifuna, one of the attendees, commended Tim Wanyonyi for his ceaseless support of his 2022 senate campaign.
“Tim Wanyonyi helped me get a lot of votes here. There is nowhere in Westlands where Tim Wanyonyi did not rally for people to vote for me,” Sifuna noted.
Wanyoyi, for his part, attributed the withdrawal of graft cases to Ruto’s administration and exhorted the current administration to curb fund embezzlement. In addition, he promised to deny the report of the National Dialogue Committee if the bipartisan group neglected to address the cost of living.
Raila Regrets Uhuru’s Decision To Front Igathe As Sakaja Competitor In Nairobi gubernatorial seat
