Kenyans want Raila to contest for presidency in August polls - Survey

juma chrispinus 18:48 - 20 February 2017

Raila could garner higher votes in Western Kenya if elections were held today - Ipsos

Should elections be held today, 47 per cent of Kenyans would vote to retain President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, while a 30 per cent would vote for Raila Odinga, an Ipsos poll shows.

On the other hand, at least six per cent of Kenyans would vote for Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, and only three per cent would vote for Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi.

Funneling to regional support which tends to shape the elections in Kenya for the presidential candidates, Western would be by far the biggest battleground for the two political leaders, with 36 per cent support for going for Odinga and 24 per cent going for President Kenyatta.

Mudavadi’s backyard had 13 per cent support, Musyoka two per cent and Wetang’ula’s support rated at one per cent.

Party popularity

Out other total 2076 polled Kenyans, 45 pay allegiances to Jubilee Party while 34 per cent said they backed Cord and the National Super Alliance (NASA). Seemingly, the then cord followership has been split into supporting Cord and the new NASA.

Of the Jubilee diehards, 55 per cent said their main reason was that the party promotes development. Siting development as a threshold, NASA’s supporters backed it by a 22 per cent.

See:60 PER CENT OF CURRENT MPS SET TO LOSE SEATS IN AUGUST POLLS - IPSOS

Also, 22 per cent of NASA supporters said their party was the best suited for accountability and or ending impunity, compared with two per cent of the Jubilee supporters, who thought the same of their party.

Out the total Kenyans polled, 43 per cent of believed that no political party in Kenya “genuinely represents the interests of the ordinary Kenyans”.

A contradictory sentiment is however held by another 41 per cent who believed that indeed there is a party to bring change.

Raila’s political future

Meanwhile, almost half of the Kenyans polled want Opposition leader Raila Odinga to not only remain active in politics but vie in the upcoming general election.

Almost a similar figure, 47 per cent, however, does not want Raila on the ballot. A 22 per cent said 'he should continue to work with his political party but not contest in the elections while 25 per cent said he should retire completely.

In June last year, Ipsos’ survey showed that 34 per cent of Kenyans who wanted Raila to retire from politics completely but this figure as at now, stands at 25 with an increase of nine per cent to 49 of those who want him to contest.