Raila Withdraws from Tuesday’s Presidential Debate
Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga has withdrawn from the much-awaited presidential debate slated for July 26th.
Odinga’s presidential campaign secretariat spokesperson Prof. Makau Mutua said the ODM leader is not ready to share a national podium with his main competitor Deputy President William Ruto, who he said lacks “basic decency”.
Mutua further described Ruto, who is eyeing the presidency on a UDA party ticket, as “a man who has no regards for ethics, public morals or shame” and who will “do and say anything” to seek power.
“Our main opponent has proven over the course of his career that he will do and say anything in his ungovernable greed of power. Today, as his campaign fails and supporters abandon him, he has become desperate,” Prof. Mutua said in a statement on Sunday.
“He is a man who has no regard for ethics, public morals, or shame. That is why he has demanded that the debate not focus on corruption, integrity, ethics, and governance—the key existential questions that Kenya faces. These issues sit at the core of the Azimio campaign.”
Mutua pointed out that any debate devoid of the above-mentioned questions would be an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans.
“That is why we do not intend to share a national podium with a person who lacks basic decency…It would be a colossal mistake to reward such a person with a national debate,” he added.
The secretariat noted that instead of a traditional debate, Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua will hold a televised town hall at Jericho Social Hall in Nairobi’s Eastlands where ordinary Kenyans will be given a chance to offer solutions to the challenges facing the country and common people.
“Our flag bearer Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua will openly answer questions put to them by the people of Kenya, honestly and free from what would otherwise be nothing more than empty self-serving political theater,” the campaign stated.
Comments (23)
The coward! The peoples conman! The perennial loser narcissist!
Got no balls to show up for a job interview!
Pumpkin 🎃 water head! The lord of chaos mayhem and violence!
Very true, raira barely opens his mouth while talking, can't understand a word that comes out of mouth.
Ruto was never in the league of Raila-Karua. To even put them on the same footing is to insult our conscience.
😂😂😂 Avoiding humiliation ??.. He's not ready for job...Jamhuri will move on without him...
Way to GO!!! Quick thinking. Hii Ruto mtu ya nyumbani lakini honesty leadership akuna. Vote him in at your own risk. The most bad person ever in Kenya. Pana jua yeye, siri tatoka tuu with time.
Nyumbani gani? You are just squatter in others region having been displaced from your homeland by the Jomos and you cannot control your nyeke.
These are "kakameme" excuses. Raila, the job you are seeking is not from Ruto, it's from Kenyans.
You must in this case be able to face Kenyans and explain clearly what you intend to do with the economy.
By rejecting the debate, you are rejecting the will of the people of Kenya.
This is Raila's character:
He played this same joke in the last debate. He said he would not attend, then attended all by himself- to debate with himself.
This is a person who takes Kenyans as fools.
Now he says, he will hold a townhall meeting on his own terms to debate with himself- so that he is not challenged.
If he gets the job, how is he going to debate with other nations?
Will he continue his excuses or will he stand up for Kenya like a gentleman.
Never showed up for second election- when he was granted his wish by the court.
One who has no stand or not going anywhere must blame others for his failure.
If you do not show up for a job interview, you do not get the job.
Let the best man win!!!
Kenyans have already decide that they do not want Ruto! Ruto has no integrity or human dignity.
I thought presidential debates are meant to showcase manifestos and selling agendas to the masses.
Do we sense are fear?
Why would a running mate.be answering what the flag bearer should?
Or maybe RAILA knows something we don't.
Maybe, they have already rigged themselves in, so they don't need to make a sale.
Why debate a thief and a mad man in the kind of Ruto??
Comrade Kipkirui,
Love him or hate him, RUTO is just smarter politically,don't forget Moi DEVELOPED him.
I would never myself subject my conscience to a thief, morally lose creature of the low caliber that Ruto shows. Why debate ruto well knowing he is a desperate mad man who will not follow and intelligent debate rules?
Ruto dies not want a quality debate talking about corruption, graft, theft of kenya’s resources and the murders he had committed to innocent kenyans. Can the moderators ask ruto why he killed the icc witness Mr Koech last week?
I come from Ruto’s home area of Eldoret and I can tell you that Ruto is not ready ro be Kenya’s president. The whispers here indicate that ruto madly want to be president to safeguard his corruption interests and find a cover not to go to the icc jail. Ruto does not care about our country or the people. Voters should send him packing to Surgoi. We don't want a Mwizi for president.
No you do not come from Ruto’s home or even speak his dialect. You are a squatter in his region having been displaced from your having been rejected from your own community.
The person who wants to stay in power by proxy Raila to protect the trillions he has stolen is Uhuru Kenyatta.
Who in their right minds would want to learn how to speak that gibberish language. Truth of the matter is, the Mountain region language is the language of business in Kenya mpende msipende.
Jericho Social Hall will be Luo infested, When Rao is talking about Kenyans, He just means Luos
How many hours can Raila stand ? How many minutes can he stay on subject matter? If he can't do it then it saves him from embarrassment but refusal might sink his campaign. He's no longer the indefatigable man of 2007.
If he cannot face his opponent he cannot lead the country. As president he will be faced with many other issues and he will not find a way to run. I think we should rethink our position those of us who were leaning towards him.
Have weedcandidate debate bottoms up.As for Azimio do not take Kenyans for granted much as you may dislike Ruto the debate was an opportunity for you to show what or how you will transform the country and why you deserve the job.Having the support of Uhuru or believing fake surveys does not guarantee you an automatic win.In the event that things go south and there is a run off you will have to face Ruto better now than later when you will see your “comrades” jumping ship depending on how the elections goes
Raila should've been more tactical, get on that stage and deflect every question on the grounds his opponent is selective on the topics of discussion.
I think a townhall makes more sense in relaying to Kenya and explaining the Azimio Agenda. Debates ni za sarakasi. Have we not seen enough of that. Besides, Kenyans have already made up their minds a few days away won't move the needle. If you are so eager to hear baba speak in a debate, dig into the archives and search for his past debates. Hata Kibaki bowed out of the debate and still became president.
Come on Rao