Home » Raila Odinga goes for Ruto’s point man in Coast ahead of 2022 elections

Raila Odinga goes for Ruto’s point man in Coast ahead of 2022 elections

by Enock Ndayala

ODM party leader Raila Odinga is said to be persuading Deputy President William Ruto’s point man in the Coast region to join his camp as the 2022 General Election gathers steam.

This comes on the backdrop of deteriorating relationships between Raila Odinga and his deputy party leaders Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya.

Kivumbi.co.ke understands this is part of a wider scheme by Raila to strengthen his support in the coast region as he eyes to succeed retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Raila Odinga on BBI campaign trail
The former premier is also working to restore his relationship with Joho after ODM deputy party announced that he will too contest for the top seat in 2022. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

“Raila Odinga is believed to have sent President Uhuru Kenyatta to meet with governors Hassan Joho and Salim Mvurya in an effort to persuade them to support his presidential ambitions,”a source told Daily Nation newspaper.

The Jubilee governor has in the recent past been gaining popularity and has been seen leaning towards Deputy President William Ruto.

Coastal region leaders have been seen to be aligning themselves to form one party that will help them have higher bargaining powers when it comes to the presidential elections.

Both Ruto and Raila are scrambling for a share of less than two million votes from the region.

According to 2017 statistics from the Independence Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the coastal region has approximately 1.8 million registered voters.

On May 18, Ruto met a section of leaders from the coast where they discussed the economic recovery of the region.

In a televised interview in April, Ruto ruled out possibilities of him working with Odinga saying he was his strongest opponent ahead of the much-anticipated 2022 presidential election.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More