Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya party leader Raila Odinga has rubbished claims former president Uhuru Kenyatta betrayed him in the August 2022 polls.
There have been reports that the former president publicly supported Raila Odinga to win the presidency while privately backing his then-Deputy William Ruto
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Speaking in an interview on Citizen TV, Mr. Odinga defended the former president, arguing he was only administering his role as Azimio Chairman and he was never really ever ‘supposed to campaign for me’.
“Uhuru was not supposed to be campaigning for me. I am a politician in my own right and I am capable of campaigning and winning elections and Uhuru knows it.” said Mr Odinga
“Uhuru chose to support me because of my track record, but he was not the one who was going to campaign for me. He did not move around campaigning for me. He basically stood on his duties and did not use his position as the incumbent president to swing the results in my favor.”
Mr Odinga also acknowledged he received a lot of votes from the former Head of State’s backyard, an indication of Kenyatta’s support.
“He did not even use the security forces. He did not give instruction to the police, the intelligence machinery, or the DCI to support me in any way. The environment was very free and fair for everybody. I got a lot of votes in Uhuru’s backyard and that is where the most rigging was done. I got a lot of votes from Central Kenya and I really want to thank them for voting for me the way they did vote for me.”
A number of politicians led by youthful lawmaker Babu Owino have maintained Uhuru played Raila.
Owino pointed out at the defection of Anne Waiguru, Justin Muturi, Moses Wetangula Musalia Mudavadi, and Alfred Mutua, all close Uhuru allies, into Ruto’s camp as justification of former president Kenyatta’s schemes to cheekily support Ruto.
Mr Odinga also dismissed as ‘nonesense’ claims by his main agent Saitabo OleKanchory that his close ally Junet Mohammed and former ICT CS Joe Mucheru bungled the election.
Mr Kanchory had describe how the failures of Junet Mohammed, Joe Mucheru and Makau Mutua had contributed to Mr Odinga’s defeat when he ‘really needed’ them.
The ODM party leader insisted he did not have poll agents in 2022, but maintained the voting process should not be compromised because he had no agents.
Mr Odinga maintains Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati is a ‘criminal who should be in jail’ because he bungled the elections.
