ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga has demanded answers from former President Uhuru Kenyatta following his claim that the late Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, questioning why the former Head of State waited four years to make the assertion.
In a statement dated Thursday, September 24, Oburu said Uhuru’s remarks confirmed what ODM had maintained after the disputed election, but raised fresh questions over what happened during the transfer of power.
Uhuru said on Tuesday that he remained convinced Raila won the 2022 presidential contest, despite William Ruto being declared the winner and the outcome later being upheld by the Supreme Court.
“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,” Oburu said.
He questioned why Uhuru’s administration proceeded with the transfer of power to Ruto if the former president believed Raila had won.
“Why is this revelation important now, four years later, and not when the said electoral injustice occurred?” Oburu asked.
“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 also challenged Uhuru to explain what he expects Kenyans to do with the information four years after the election.
He said the matter remained sensitive for ODM supporters who backed Raila and argued that the former president should provide a fuller account after reopening the debate.
“Elections concern the sovereign will of the people and the legitimacy of government,” Oburu said.
“The 2022 election and the sacrifices of our departed Party Leader must not be reduced to material for contemporary vote-winning propaganda. Having reopened this matter, President Kenyatta should tell the country the whole story.”
Oburu also revisited ODM’s political relationship with Uhuru, saying the party made significant concessions following the 2018 Handshake and ahead of the 2022 election in support of Raila’s presidential bid.
Official results declared Ruto winner of the August 2022 presidential election with 7,176,141 votes, or 50.49 per cent, against Raila’s 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent. Raila challenged the result, but the Supreme Court upheld Ruto’s election.
Uhuru made the latest remarks during a Jubilee Party meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, saying he still believed Raila had secured enough votes to win the presidency.
The remarks have reignited political debate over the 2022 contest. President Ruto’s UDA has rejected Uhuru’s assertion, maintaining that the election was settled through the constitutional process and upheld by the Supreme Court.
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