UDA Hits Back at Uhuru Over Claim That Raila Won 2022 Election

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has hit back at retired President Uhuru Kenyatta after he said he still believes the late Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, reviving a political dispute with his former deputy, President William Ruto.

Uhuru made the remarks on Tuesday, September 22, during a Jubilee Party National Executive Council meeting in Nairobi, where he reflected on the party’s role in the 2022 presidential contest.

“And we did everything we could to help Baba become the President of our Republic of Kenya. We did everything,” Uhuru said before maintaining that he still believed Odinga won the vote.

UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar later responded in a statement, accusing Uhuru of refusing to accept the outcome of the 2022 election.

“President William Ruto won the 2022 election decisively and conclusively,” Omar said, adding that Uhuru had continued to grapple with the result for the past four years.

UDA Challenges Uhuru Over 2022 Result

Omar’s response went beyond disputing Uhuru’s account of the 2022 election, accusing the retired president of remaining fixated on the outcome more than four years after the vote.

“Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta continues to live and wallow in a fool’s paradise,” Omar said, before accusing the former president of failing to accept what UDA described as Ruto’s decisive victory.

Uhuru had questioned how Azimio could have lost the presidency despite securing more parliamentary and gubernatorial seats in the same election.

“How can you say you won? We had more MPs than the other party. We had more senators than the others. We had more governors than the others. How, then, did we lose the presidency?” he said.

Also Read: Uhuru Bleeds as Politicians Dump Jubilee for Gachagua’s DCP

Official results from the August 9, 2022 presidential election declared Ruto the winner with 7,176,141 votes, ahead of Odinga’s 6,942,930.

The outcome was challenged at the Supreme Court, which dismissed the petitions and upheld Ruto’s election on September 5, 2022.

From Running Mates to Political Rivals

Omar’s statement then turned to the political history between Uhuru and Ruto, who campaigned together under the Jubilee ticket in the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections.

The alliance later fractured during Uhuru’s second term, with the 2018 Handshake between Kenyatta and Odinga marking a major shift in Kenya’s political alignments.

Ruto subsequently pursued his own presidential bid under UDA, while Uhuru backed Odinga’s Azimio ticket in the 2022 election.

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

Also Read: Uhuru Hands Over Jubilee Leadership to Matiang’i Ahead of NDC

The UDA secretary general further accused Uhuru of abandoning his former deputy after securing a second term.

“Unfortunately, after clinching his second term, he abandoned his Deputy and chose a warpath with him,” Omar said.

Ruto went on to defeat Odinga in the 2022 presidential election, succeeding Uhuru as Kenya’s fifth president.

UDA Raises Fresh 2022 Allegations

The statement also revived allegations surrounding the final stages of the 2022 election, accusing the former administration of attempting to interfere with the electoral process.

Omar cited what he described as the disappearance of Kenyans who supported the UDA, threats against then-IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati, and the collapse of the Final Act at the Bomas of Kenya on August 15, 2022.

UDA characterised those incidents as part of what it called attempts to “subvert the will of Kenyans” before, during and after the election.

Omar further claimed that Ruto’s victory brought those alleged efforts to an end, saying the President won the 2022 election and defeated what he described as Uhuru’s “illegal, devious and evil plans.”

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta with late Prime Minister Raila Odinga when they announced a political truce in March, 2018. Photo/PD/File

UDA Takes Aim at Uhuru Over 2027

The exchange then moved from the disputed 2022 result to the next presidential election, with UDA tying Uhuru’s latest remarks to the political contest ahead of 2027.

Omar said Uhuru’s position on the 2022 election showed that the retired president had yet to accept his political defeat.

Also Read: High Court Stops IEBC From Enforcing Sanctions Against UDA MP

“His comments today – that he ‘still believes’ that the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga won the 2022 election and ‘we all know what happened’ – is the perpetual realization that he totally lost power and is going to lose it in 2027,” he said.

UDA also declared its own expectations for the next election.

“In 2027, His Excellency William Ruto will win resoundingly and once again put Uhuru in the dustbin of political paralysis.” Omar said.

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Secretary-General of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Hassan Omar. PHOTO/PEOPLE DAILY