Senior Counsel Ahmednassir Abdullahi has said that the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga needs to work harder to harvest more votes in Mt Kenya if he is to beat William Ruto in the presidential race.
In a statement on Friday, May 27, the Nairobi-based lawyer said that Raila’s traditional support bases of Western, Coast and lower Eastern have shifted against him hence the need for him to win more votes in Central Kenya.
Aptly nicknamed Grand Mullah, the advocate argued that even if the former Prime Minister gets the majority of the Mt Kenya votes, he might not succeed outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“Raila is hemorrhaging (losing) in the Coast, Western, and Lower Eastern (his traditional political bases)…and it looks like it is all over…but wait… he still has a narrow but improbable route to victory…he must win 97% of the Gema vote to have some chance…” Ahmednassir said in a Tweet.
The two major political formations, the Azimion-One Kenya coalition party, and the Kenya Kwanza alliance, locking horns in the August 9 General Election appears to have picked Mt Kenya as the battleground for the all-important win.
The Mt Kenya region which has voted against Raila in the previous elections however appears to be shifting in his favor for the first time since the ODM leader started vying for the presidency in 1997.
This is ostensibly due to the fact that the region which has produced three out of the four presidents will not be fielding a serious presidential candidate and that the region’s kingpin President Uhuru Kenyatta is backing his handshake partner.
Recently, Laikipia Woman Rep Catherine Waruguru cautioned Deputy President William Ruto against relying on his current Mount Kenya team to win the area’s vote.
“I publicly campaigned for Irungu yet he was the first to betray me and rig my votes. If these are the kind of people you rely on, Raila Odinga will outsmart you,” Waruguru cautioned the DP.
