Outspoken Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala has alluded that the ODM leader Raila Odinga as the only politician with genuine political supporters in the country.
Speaking to an NTV feature story on Sunday, March 20, Malala said that Raila is the only politician who can manage to fill a public rally without paying for supporters to attend.
According to Malala said the ODM leader has over the years managed to build a formidable support base.
“Fanatical supporters will follow you without any pay and I think there is only one person who has fanatical supporters in this country, that is Raila Odinga. He has die-hard supporters because he has built that over some time,” Malala said.
The views of Malala mirror those of the COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli who has previously insisted that the former prime minister is the most popular politician in Kenya.
“I have always said, after Uhuru and Raila, I am the third most popular and influential leader in, Kenya, If you have Raila Amolo Odinga, who else do you need?” Atwoli said.
The sentiments of the Kakamega senator indirectly show that his preferred presidential candidate, William Ruto usually pays supporters to attend his rallies.
The former premier who is making his fifth jap at the presidency has created a fanatical following for the last almost two decades.
Even without state machinery, his political rallies have always been punctuated with a huge attendance of his supporters who have always shown their support whenever he stages an event.
Recently Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni opined that Raila’s support base will never change irrespective of political formations.
Kioni pointed out that the ODM leader has consistently been garnering 44 % of votes cast in all his previous attempts a clear indication of how strong support he has.
