Raila Threatens to Quit 2022 Presidential Race

ODM leader Raila Odinga has threatened to drop his presidential bid over low voter registration turnout in his Nyanza backyard. 

Odinga, who announced his fifth bid for president on December 10th last year, says he may quit the presidential race if the region fails to meet the targeted number of newly registered voters. 

Speaking at a rally in Homa Bay on Friday, Odinga lamented that clerks were idling at the registration centers with no one to register. 

"My rivals are having their people register as voters in large numbers because they have taken the presidential race in 2022 seriously. When I walk out there I am embarrassed because of the manner in which you are not taking this matter seriously,” said Odinga.

“Do you want me to quit the race? If you do not register in numbers, then I do not see the reason why I should contest. We have to take this matter seriously and register.”

Odinga, 77, urged his supporters to turn out in large numbers and register as voters in order to boost his chances of clinching the presidency in the August 9th elections.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) rolled out the second phase of Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) on January 17th and will end on February 6th.

The commission failed to hit its target of registering at least six million new voters in the first voter registration exercise done in November last year.