DP Ruto laughs off latest opinion polls ranking him as fifth most popular politician

DP Ruto laughs off latest opinion polls ranking him as fifth most popular politician

Deputy President William Ruto has dismissed the latest polls that rank him as the fifth most popular political leader.

The polls, released last week, places Ruto below President Uhuru Kenyatta (44.5%), Raila Odinga (27.8%), Kalonzo Musyoka (2.5%) and Peter Kenneth (2.2%) with a paltry 1.2 per cent.

In a Q&A session after his State of the Nation address on Tuesday, Ruto laughed off the polls saying it is a fictitious representation of the state on the ground saying he, unlike other listed leaders, is not running for presidency in the 2017 elections.

In a rather jocular response to the polls, Ruto said that the numbers and his position in the popularity scale is a plus for him and indicate that Kenyans are ready for his presidential bid.

“I am the only candidate in that list who is not running for President. The polls, therefore, show that even before I declare interest in the presidency, I already have sufficient support on the ground,” he said.

The poll ranked Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi as sixth and seventh with 0.7 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively.

Despite being ahead, the polls, however, show that if the elections were to be held today, Uhuru Kenyatta would not be able to command the required 50%+1 threshold, as required by law thus necessitating a re-run.

You can’t disband IEBC

Ruto urged the coalition to adhere the Constitution in their bid to disband the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

“We cannot have a new electoral body every election because we do not agree with the outcome. I find the calls for IEBC’s disbandment are audible whenever they do not agree with a certain section of our society,” said Ruto.

The DP, however, said that there would be no problem to replace commissioner in the IEBC if the legal process is adhered to noting that no roadside declarations would be adopted.

The Deputy President assured IEBC of government’s support and called on Kenyans to get ID cards and be part of choosing their leaders in the 2017 elections.

He called on Kenyans to remain united and maintain peace ahead of the 2017 polls.

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