‘Fool’s Paradise’: UDA Fires Back At Uhuru Over Raila 2022 Win Claim

By Suleiman Mbatiah

The ruling United Democratic Alliance Secretary-General Hassan Omar has defended President William Ruto’s victory in the 2022 presidential election after retired President Uhuru Kenyatta said he still believed the late Raila Odinga had won the contest.

Uhuru made the remarks earlier today, during a Jubilee Party meeting in Nairobi, reopening a debate over the disputed 9 August 2022 election. He said he remained convinced that Raila had received the most votes despite the official results and a subsequent Supreme Court ruling upholding Ruto’s election.

“Na kura akapata, na mimi mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura,” Mr Kenyatta said, meaning he believed Raila had won the vote and that he remained convinced of this to date.

His assertion has drawn a strongly worded response from Omar, who said the former president’s position did not alter the outcome of the electoral and judicial processes.

“President William Ruto won the 2022 election decisively and conclusively,” Omar said in a statement issued to newsrooms.

The IEBC declared Ruto the winner on 15 August 2022 with 7,176,141 votes, or 50.49 per cent, against Raila’s 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent. The result gave Mr Ruto the constitutional threshold required for a first-round presidential victory.

Raila and other petitioners challenged the result at the Supreme Court, raising questions over the tallying and verification of presidential results, election technology and the constitutional threshold for victory. The court dismissed the petitions and upheld Ruto’s election.

Omar’s statement also revisited the tense final stages of the tallying process at the Bomas of Kenya, where Ruto was declared president-elect. He referred to what UDA described as the disappearance of people associated with the party, alleged threats against then-IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati and events at the national tallying centre on 15 August.

“His Excellency William Ruto conclusively won the 2022 election and defeated Uhuru’s illegal, devious and evil plans,” Omar said.

Uhuru’s remarks also questioned the political logic of the 2022 results, with the former president pointing to the performance of the Azimio coalition in parliamentary and gubernatorial races while arguing that Raila had won the presidential vote.

The 2022 election marked the culmination of a major political break between Uhuru and his former deputy. The two had won the presidency together in 2013 and 2017 on the Jubilee ticket, before falling out during Uhuru’s second term.

Uhuru subsequently backed Raila’s presidential bid in 2022, while Ruto campaigned under the Kenya Kwanza alliance and UDA. Ruto went on to win the presidential election by 233,211 votes, according to the official IEBC figures.

Omar attributed Uhuru’s two previous election victories in part to Ruto’s role as his running mate and campaigner.

“Truth be told, Uhuru would not have even won the 2013 and 2017 election were it not for the vigorous campaign mounted by President Ruto, then as his running mate. He owes his two terms to President William Ruto,” he said.

The party also accused Uhuru of having attempted to interfere with the 2022 electoral process. Those are political allegations made by the governing party and should be distinguished from the Supreme Court’s findings on the election petitions. The court’s judgment did not overturn the result and confirmed Ruto as president-elect.