NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul, 26 – The two-tier presidential debate 2022 is expected to kick off today amid uncertainty over the participation of two candidates in the national discourse, Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party’s Raila Odinga and Roots party’s George Wajackoyah.
The latter said that he would only participate if he would share a podium with all candidates and not just Agano party’s David Mwaure Waihiga.
The Kenya Presidential Debates Secretariat 2022 said that the debate will take place amid concerns that it could be called off or even proceed with just one candidate in the two-tier level debate.
The secretariat said that they had taken note of the positions taken by the Kenya Kwanza and the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party regarding their participation in the 2022 Presidential Debate and that they continue to plan for the national discourse.
“We confirm to the public that the 2022 Presidential Debate will take place on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, at the Catholic University for Eastern Africa (CUEA) main campus in Karen, Nairobi, from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm,” read a section of the statement.
They further said that they are engaging all stakeholders, including the various presidential campaign teams n order to make the debates as inclusive and representative as possible.
“In accordance with the Presidential Debate Guidelines, we have shared the thematic areas with all the candidates and the moderators will endeavour to cover all the said topics within the set timeline,”
“We affirm as per the Presidential Debates Guidelines, the moderators will select the questions to be asked, and shall NOT share the same with the candidates. They will NOT meet with any of the campaign teams or the candidates,”
Attempts are still ongoing to see whether Odinga will reconsider his position and participate in the debate
Ruto Says He Will Participate In The Debate
Deputy President William Ruto has termed Azimio La Umoja -One Kenya Alliance Presidential candidate Raila Odinga a ‘coward’, hours after he said that he would not be attending the scheduled presidential debate on Tuesday.
Odinga had expressed reservations about sharing a podium with the deputy president, accusing him of dictating the type of questions that should be directed to him.
Ruto has now said that he is okay attending the debate by himself as it will accord it time to tell the Kenyan people his dream for the country.
Ruto has campaigned on a bottom-up economic model which he says will raise Kenyans from abject poverty and will spring growth and development in the country.
He further accused the former premier of threatening to boycott the debate since he would be unable to explain why the coat of living has skyrocketed in the country since his ‘handshake’ with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“He has feared going for the debate because they have no plan and agenda. They have no policies to sell, that is why they are wondering what they will come to do in the debate. They cannot articulate any agenda because they have none. That man who is full of rhetoric lacks clarity on what he wants for Kenyans, ” said Ruto.
The DP further accused his opponent of raising ‘unending and baseless’ complaints just a few days before the election while calling on politicians to respect the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) so as to allow it to do its jo without any interference.
Why Is Raila Avoiding the Debate?
With just two days to the mega event between two political juggernauts and ideological nemeses, the debate now hangs on a thread after Odinga hinted that he could boycott the event entirely.
In a statement the spokesperson of the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat Professor Makau Mutua said that the former premier had reservations on sharing a podium with the deputy president, accusing him of dictating the type of questions that should be directed to him.
Instead, the Azimio flag bearer has hinted at conducting a town hall meeting with his running mate Martha Karua at the Jericho Social Hall in Nairobi.
“Our flag-bearer Rt Hon Raila Odinga and his running mate, Hon Martha Karua, will answer questions put to them by the people of Kenya openly, honestly, and free from what would otherwise be nothing more than empty self-serving political theater,” said Mutua.
The debate is slated to be held on Tuesday next week.
Makau accused Ruto of demanding from the moderators of the debate to refrain from allegedly focusing on corruption, integrity, ethics, and governance issues, which form the basis of the Azimio La Umoja political blueprint core of maters to remedy Kenya’s problems.
“He is a man who has no regard for ethics, public morals, or shame. That is why we do not intend to share a national podium with a person who lacks basic decency. It would be a colossal mistake to reward such a person with a national debate. We will not help his failing campaign. He can explain himself and his poor record to voters without our help,” he said.
They further termed the structure of the debate allowing opposing candidates to share a podium on stage as a bad idea this year.
“Simply put, our main opponent has proven over the course of his career that he will do and say anything in his ungovernable greed for power. As is well known, our opponent has traversed the country hurling epithets at us and other key national leaders, including vile sexist attacks,” he said.
As the debate gangs on the balance, the organizers of the critical discourse hope to resolve the matter before then, giving Kenyans an opportunity to hear directly the candidate’s vision for the country.
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