Opposition leader Raila Odinga has downplayed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s bid for the presidency, highlighting that votes from Kisii County would not be sufficient for him to be the next president.
Odinga, who spoke shortly after holding a consultative meeting with Kisii residents on Thursday afternoon, noted that presidency required support from the entire nation.
“Someone running for the presidency cannot be elected based on Kisii votes, Luo votes, Luhya votes, or even Mount Kenya votes,” Odinga noted.
“There’s nothing like a community producing a candidate. If you want to be elected, you will be elected by Kenyans generally,” the former prime minister added.
He however, revealed that he was yet to hear directly from Matiang’i about his intention to vie for the country’s top political seat, maintaining that the viral reports were merely speculative.
“This is something we will deal with when the right time comes. Mr Matiang’i has not yet come forward to speak and clarify that he wants to run for the presidency,” Odinga commented.
Meanwhile, during the consultative meeting, Odinga also called on the government to address several challenges facing Kenyans including the hitches in the Social Health Authority (SHA).
He blamed President Ruto’s administration over what he termed as a lack of proper attention to critical issues affecting Kenyans.
“Generally, our country has reached this level because of a lack of proper attention to critical issues, including corruption, which is one of the factors responsible for the lack of services in the country,” he noted.
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