ODM leader Raila Odinga says he may not give the fifth stab at the presidency come 2022 if his supporters fail to register as voters.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Maa community from Kajiado, Narok, and Samburu counties at a hotel in Rongai, Kajiado North constituency, on Monday, September 13, Raila said he will first gauge the number of people who will have registered as voters from his strongholds before he makes an announcement reading his presidential ambitions.
“I cannot vie if my people will have not registered for IDs and voters’ cards,
“I will first gauge the number of people who are registered before I make my announcement on the presidential race… I have mastered all the ways to maneuver through this journey,” he said.
Raila’s remarks come at a time when the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) targets to register at least six million new voters beginning October as part of preparations for the 2022 General Election.
IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati said the exercise will be carried out in all 47 counties.
“In this exercise, the commission targets to register at least six million new voters at the County Assembly ward level and we urge eligible Kenyans who have not registered as voters to turn up in large numbers and register,” said Chebukati told the Standard.
The former Prime Minister has been considered the best candidate to face Deputy President William Ruto who in April said that Raila is his most formidable competitor.
“Raila Odinga is my competitor. He is the most formidable opponent I have in 2022. If Raila will not be my competitor, who will be? From where I sit, the strongest forces we have are the hustlers and the ODM team…” he said on Thursday, April 15.
But the ODM leader has been blowing hot and cold, not clearly stating whether or not he will be on the ballot for the presidential race in 2022.
