IRS poll puts William Ruto ahead of Raila Odinga in the 2022 presidential election

The Intel Research Solutions (IRS) Chief Executive Officer Karen Mwangi on Thursday announced the development stating that the deputy president is the most popular presidential candidate with a 50.5 % approval rating compared to Raila Odinga's 44.2% approval rating.

The data suggests that William Ruto will probably defeat his opponent in the first round and would become president if the election were held today.

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"Ruto is likely to manage a first round win against his competitor going by the data. Almost half of the respondents country wide would prefer William Ruto as their president today," said IRS.

Deputy President William Ruto and Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua Pulse Live Kenya

"Changes observed in this poll are slight increases for William Ruto and Raila Odinga and a slight drop in the undecided voter pool," added IRS.

The survey also demonstrates that William Ruto has a significant lead in Mount Kenya with 72.4 % in the East and 70.9 % of respondents from the Mount Kenya West preferring him.

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In Mt Kenya East, only 22.6% of respondents sided with Raila while in Mt Kenya West, 23.1 % of respondents would prefer the former Prime Minister.

George Wajackoya of Roots party came in third with 1.9 % of the population while David Mwaure of Agano party garnered 1.1 % of the votes.

William Ruto still maintains his lead in Central Rift areas while Raila enjoys a lead in Luo Nyanza with 83.2% and Nairobi county with a 50.2%.

Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga with his running mate Martha Karua Pulse Live Kenya

Further, the polls indicated that many female voters chose the Kenya Kwanza Alliance with 53.9 % against Azimio La Umoja coalition with 40.9%. In the male category, many preferred with Ruto gaining 48.4% and Raila's 46.9%.

Using a database electronic SMS broadcasting technique, IRS surveyed a total of 24,599 respondents across the country.