There have been concerns that some Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition-allied politicians in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region are hesitant to campaign for their presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
This is evident in the fact that some of the candidates under the umbrella of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition in the huge voting bloc of Mt Kenya are avoiding using Raila Odinga’s photo on their campaign posters.
The politicians fear they will be shunned by voters due to the huge support Deputy President William Ruto and his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party enjoy in the region.
However, addressing a rally at the Meru showground Thursday, June 16, Raila Odinga’s 2022 presidential running mate Martha Karua asked the politicians not to give in to the intimidation.
“You are either with us or not. There are some politicians within Azimio who are asking for their votes but when it comes to the presidential race, they tell voters to decide for themselves and we will not allow that,” Martha Karua said.
While encouraging candidates to boldly sell Raila’s presidential candidate in the region, the 2022 presidential running mate Martha Karua urged the politician snit to fear being heckled.
She further dismissed claims that the former Prime Minister is not sellable in the region.
“The truth of the matter is that wananchi have not rejected Azimio la Umoja,” Karua said.
Her remarks were echoed by Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi who exuded confidence that Raila will beat his arch-rival William Ruto since the region has accepted his candidature.
“I used to mention Raila’s name and people would tell me that I risked losing votes. But now we are happy that Azimio is being accepted in the region. We know for sure that Raila will be the fifth president of Kenya,” Kiraitu said.
