Four years later, the 2022 presidential contest is back in the political spotlight , with Uhuru Kenyatta reigniting the debate over whether Raila Odinga actually lost the election.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has challenged the official narrative surrounding the 2022 presidential election, maintaining that his preferred candidate at the time, Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga, won the contest despite the results declared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Kenyatta pointed to Azimio’s numerical strength inside and outside Parliament as an indication of the coalition’s support, while pushing back against former Azimio allies who have blamed him for Odinga’s defeat.
The remarks have drawn a sharp response from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), with Secretary General Hassan Omar dismissing Kenyatta’s assertions and accusing the retired president of failing to come to terms with the 2022 outcome.
Clearly, Uhuru has never healed from the humiliating defeat that he occasioned Raila in the hands of President William Ruto, even after employing State machinery,” Omar said.
Omar maintained that Ruto won the 2022 election decisively and further credited the President for Uhuru’s victories in the 2013 and 2017 elections. He also accused Kenyatta of still struggling with the political consequences of the 2022 defeat and warned that the former president should expect another political battle ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The IEBC officially declared William Ruto the winner of the August 9, 2022 presidential election with 7,176,141 votes (50.49%), while Raila Odinga garnered 6,942,930 votes (48.85%). The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the presidential election results.
Kenyatta’s latest remarks have therefore reopened an old political fault line within the former Azimio camp, putting the circumstances surrounding the 2022 election and responsibility for Odinga’s defeat back at the centre of Kenya’s political debate as the country heads towards 2027.
