Raila afraid of defeat, Ruto claims

Deputy President William Ruto has chided opposition leader Raila Odinga for withdrawing from the repeat presidential election set for October 26.

Speaking on Wednesday in Kajiado, Ruto claimed that Raila opted out of the election after sensing he would suffer a “humiliating defeat” by going head to head with President Uhuru Kenyatta on the ballot.

“He wanted to avoid a humiliating defeat but the court has ruled that all candidates who participated in the August 8 election will be on the ballot. So he will not escape another defeat,” Ruto stated.

The DP reiterated that Mr. Kenyatta won in the August election, wondering why the National Super Alliance pulled out if they believe they won the last election.

“Mr Odinga, you had claimed you had won, don’t run away. You have been given another chance,” the deputy president stated as he received former Kajiado Governor David Nkedianye into Jubilee.

Raila withdrew his candidature in the October election accusing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of failing to address the opposition’s “irreducible minimum” conditions for the October election.

Raila noted that IEBC had “refused, neglected or failed to put in place mechanisms to correct illegalities and irregularities cited by the Supreme Court during the nullification of the August election.”

Meanwhile, the electoral agency has been thrown back to the drawing board after High Court Judge John Mativo on Wednesday ruled that other candidates who took part in the nullified August election can take part in the fresh election.