Raila Odinga Says He'll Serve for only One Term if Elected President

National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga has said he will serve for only one term in elected in the upcoming general elections.

Raila on Thursday said the MoU signed by all the five NASA principals last week binds him to serve for only one term. He however did not rule out seeking to be a flag bearer again in 2022 if the coalition does not win this time round. “If the alliance does not win the August election, the agreement will not hold water,” Raila said.

In the MoU signed last week, Raila will be the flag bearer, with Kalonzo Musyoka as his running mate. Musalia Mudavadi will serve in a new, powerful Premier Cabinet Secretaries, with Moses Wetangula and Isaac Ruto serving as his deputies [Deputy Premier Cabinet Secretary].

On Thursday, Raila said the new positions will not necessitate an amendment to the Constitution, saying the constitution gives the president power to create positions. "The constitution gives the president powers to create positions without amending the supreme law," Raila said.

The former Prime Minister also insisted that the August election presidential results should be announced at the constituency level to prevent rigging.

"The Supreme Court already ruled that a Returning Officer has the mandate to announce results that are considered as final. So, this has to be followed,” said Raila. This is despite IEBC’s objection, which says the results presented by the Returning Officers at polling stations need to be confirmed and validated by the IEBC before announcing them.