𝐔𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐮 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐨’𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has claimed that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, questioning how William Ruto was declared the winner of the closely contested polls.

Kenyatta made the remarks during a Jubilee Party National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Nairobi, where he also defended his decision to support Odinga’s presidential bid in the 2022 General Election.

The former President said he remains convinced that Odinga won the election despite the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declaring Ruto the winner.

“Tulifanya kila kitu kumsaidia Baba awe Rais wa Jamhuri yetu ya Kenya. Na kura akapata, na mimi mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura. Tunajua vile mambo ilienda, na hatutaki iende hivyo tena,” Kenyatta said.

He added that he was not the presidential candidate but had played a role in supporting Odinga’s campaign.

“I am shocked to hear people saying that we did not help Baba, saying that Uhuru Kenyatta did not win. I was not the one at the ballot; I was just Raila’s handyman,” he said.

Kenyatta also questioned the relationship between the presidential results and the outcome of the parliamentary elections, arguing that Azimio la Umoja.

One Kenya had secured a significant number of seats.

“How can you say you won yet we have most Members of Parliament, Senators, and Governors? How could you say we lost? We know how things went down,” he said.

However, official election records show that Ruto was declared the winner of the August 9, 2022 presidential election after receiving 7,176,141 votes (50.49%), while Odinga received 6,942,930 votes (48.85%), a margin of 233,211 votes.

The Supreme Court later upheld Ruto’s victory after petitions challenging the presidential election results.

The court found that the petitioners had not established that the alleged irregularities and illegalities were sufficient to overturn the declared result.

Kenyatta’s argument about Parliament also requires context. The African Union’s record of the 2022 parliamentary results shows Azimio with 173 National Assembly seats compared with 161 for Kenya Kwanza, while Kenya Kwanza had 34 Senate seats against Azimio’s 33.

Kenyatta further criticised political leaders for engaging in what he described as divisive politics as parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.

“Using dirty politics will not take us anywhere; let nobody try to divide us. What does it help you? Share your manifesto,” he said.

The former President also explained his support for former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, who is associated with the Jubilee Party, as a potential presidential contender in the 2027 election.

Kenyatta cited Matiang’i’s character and record as reasons for his support, describing him as respectful, hardworking and committed to Kenyans.

“He is respectful, he is not corrupt, he loves Kenyans, he is a hard worker,” Kenyatta said.

Kenyatta’s latest remarks revive debate over the disputed 2022 presidential election, even though the IEBC’s declared results were upheld by the Supreme Court.