Why hand over power? ODM questions Uhuru’s statement on Raila’s 2022 election win

In its rejoinder, ODM party leader Oburu Odinga questioned why the former premier chose to break his silence almost four years after the polls.

Oburu intimated that the party had long decided to bury the hatchet on Raila’s victory after sacrificing most of its resources on disputing the results.

“For ODM, this confirms what we believed and maintained at the time. However, after exhausting the constitutional avenues available to us, we chose to let the matter rest and move the country forward,” he said.

The party leader further censured Mr. Kenyatta for still handing over power to President William Ruto despite knowing his alleged knowledge of electoral malpractice.

“We did so even as President Kenyatta and those around him looked the other way and handed the instruments of power over to William Ruto, whom the former President now says had lost the election.

 “If he was convinced that Raila Odinga had won, why did his government facilitate the transfer of the instruments of power to a person he believed had not won?”

Oburu holds that the now-late revelation only invokes emotions and does more harm to the progress the nation has made towards the maturity of democracy and electoral reform.

“What exactly does President Kenyatta expect the Kenyan people to do with this information today?” He posed.

“President Kenyatta must understand that his statement touches a raw nerve within ODM and among millions of Kenyans who stood with Raila Odinga.”

President Kenyatta, during a Jubilee party NEC meeting on Tuesday, said that he believed the election was bungled in favour of President Ruto.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said that Ruto received 7,176,141 (50.49 percent) of the votes, narrowly beating his rival, Raila Odinga, who managed 6,942,930 votes (48.85 percent).

Mr Odinga, at the time the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition flag bearer, moved to court to dispute the election results.

The renewed debate has now sparked political tiff among poltical rivals as parties gear up for the 2027 General Election