With 150 days remaining to the August General Elections, Deputy President William Ruto remains ahead of the ODM leader Raila Odinga in the battle for the vote-rich region of Mt Kenya.
According to the new poll released on Thursday, March 10 by TIFA Research, DP Ruto is the most preferred presidential candidate in Murang’a County.
The popularity of DP Ruto is at 71 percent, with Raila coming second with a 16 percent popularity rate, a clear sign that Ruto has a huge advantage in the central region.
With the huge margin between DP Ruto and the former prime minister, the poll opines that Raila will have a hard time trying to close the gap with only five months remaining to the elections.
“Whether Raila Odinga can close any or much of the gap between them in the remaining five will be a major challenge, given the vote-rich Mt Kenya region of which Murang’a is part,” Wolf said.
According to the polls, Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria, who has declared interest in the presidency, is supported by 1 percent, while Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka received no backing at all.
The survey which was conducted between March 5 and 8 shows that only 9 percent of the respondents remain undecided on whoever they will vote for during the August presidential election.
Murang’a County voting pattern
Murang’a county is part of the larger Mt Kenya region, which is a battleground for both Ruto and Raila.
The county which overwhelmingly voted for President Uhuru Kenyatta in the past two elections is known for its large turn-out during the election.
In the 2013 presidential elections, out of the 499, 055 votes cast, President Uhuru got a whooping 496, 567 votes with Raila Odinga getting 846 votes only.
In the 2017 presidential election, out of the 509, 006 valid votes, President Uhuru emerged the best with 498, 248 compared to the ODM leader who got a mere 9,120 votes.
From these numbers, it is clear that Raila has been getting less than 3 percent of cast votes in Murang’a county. Most political pundits have alluded that DP Ruto has to maintain the numbers of the Jubilee party from the previous elections for him to stand any chance of succeeding President Uhuru Kenyatta
