Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi, on Monday, April 7, countered claims by ODM Chair Gladys Wanga that former President Uhuru Kenyatta sabotaged the late Raila Odinga's presidential bid in 2022.
Kibagendi stated that Uhuru did his part in setting up Raila perfectly in the Mount Kenya region, but Luo Nyanza's low voter turnout cost the former Premier the top seat.
The MP argued that the retired President invested political capital and state machinery and delivered more votes from the Mountain despite heavy resistance.
"Despite that resistance, Raila Odinga still secured approximately 1.3 million votes from the region—clear evidence of that support," Kibagendi wrote.
The lawmaker opined that in Luo Nyanza, more than 700,000 voters failed to cast their ballots, a move he termed as the greatest failure in Raila's presidential bid.
He argued that Raila would have easily closed the 200,000 vote margin between him and President William Ruto, or in the worst-case scenario, forced a run-off.
"A modest improvement in turnout, just 300,000 additional voters, would likely have decisively changed the outcome of that election. Even more striking, a turnout increase of just 25,000 votes could have forced a runoff by denying any candidate the constitutional threshold of 50% + 1, fundamentally altering the trajectory of the race," the MP stated.
Kibagendi revisited allegations that Raila could have been sabotaged by those in his inner circle, who were lacklustre in securing the election in his favour.
He argued that some of the leaders who benefited politically from Raila’s influence, including those who received direct party nominations, failed to reciprocate by ensuring proper mobilisation, agent deployment, and parallel tallying.
"They failed in critical areas such as agent deployment, parallel tallying, and voter mobilisation. Today, rather than taking responsibility, they continue to deflect blame and mislead the public," the statement read in part.
Kibagendi urged Gladys Wanga and other ODM leaders to take accountability for their role in the 2022 election outcome.
He warned that Luo Nyanza risks suffering under complacent leadership that prioritises personal political survival over collective success.
His remarks came after Wanga insinuated that Uhuru’s support for Raila may not have been genuine.
Some ODM leaders have recently criticised Uhuru Kenyatta over his comments about warning the Mount Kenya region against voting for William Ruto.
They argued that his statements had little impact, as Raila still lost the election.
The leaders also urged Uhuru to retire from active politics and allow the current leadership to govern without interference.
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