DP Ruto allies accuse Raila of dishonesty after he announced he was not in 2022 race

I am not a candidate for 2022 – Raila declaration causes tension

Tony Mukere

December 27, 2018 11:33 AM

What did Raila mean?

DP Ruto allies accuse Raila of dishonesty after he announced he was not in 2022 race

ODM Leader Raila Odinga has told off Deputy President William Ruto’s allies who have accused him of using the handshake to further his presidential ambitions in 2022.

Odinga declared that he was not a candidate for 2022 and said he was solely focused on using the handshake to develop and unite the country with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The former Prime Minister, did not rule out the possibility of running in 2022, explaining that the matter would be dealt with at the opportune moment.

DP Ruto allies accuse Raila of dishonesty after he announced he was not in 2022 race Pulse Live Kenya

"I have never said I will run for presidency in 2022, I will not say it and I am not a candidate in 2022 so give me a break…We will deal with the matter when the right time comes. Allow me and President Uhuru to unite the country," Odinga said.

The ODM leader spoke in his home church at St Peter’s Nyamira ACK in Bondo.

The statement, however, did not go down with Ruto’s allies who insisted that Odinga was still in the 2022 race.

Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen said the former Prime Minister was firmly in the race but wanted to use the handshake as a guise for his presidential campaign.

DP Ruto allies accuse Raila of dishonesty after he announced he was not in 2022 race Pulse Live Kenya

"The old saying goes that if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. So for Raila Odinga, his words are meant to hoodwink political novices. For those who are in the know, he (Raila) is acting, walking and behaving like a candidate albeit with a cunning tag called handshake,” Murkomen stated.

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi accused Odinga of double standards, pointing out to statements made by Siaya Senator James Orengo that the former PM would vie in 2022.

“If Orengo speaks about 2022 and says Raila will be on the ballot, he is treated as an angel but when we go around the country with the DP to launch projects, we are demonised over claims we are campaigning for 2022 elections. This is dishonesty of the highest order,” Sudi said.

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