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Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday  continued to trade barbs on demands for the use of manual register in  the August 9 polls.

Ruto who is the presidential candidate of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance dismissed calls by his Azimio-One Kenya counterpart Raila for the national polls agency to provide the register in every polling station saying he had sensed defeat and asked him to pull out of the race.

The DP, who spoke in Bungoma accused Raila of intimidating the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and seeking to determine the referee of the next election. But Raila, who was addressing a series of campaign rallies in Narok scoffed at Ruto’s demands saying that the manual register call was meant to ensure probity of the General Election.

Raila last week demanded that the polls agency must provide manual poll register in every polling station or there will be no election, insisting the condition “was not negotiable.” But Ruto  said  Raila’s demands were a sign that he had sensed defeat.

Speaking at Naitiri market in Tongaren constituency during his campaign tours in the area, Ruto said it was not a must that Raila should be on ballot. “He is now demanding that if there is no manual register, there will be no election. He should stop his threats because it is not a must that he should be on ballot,” he said maintaining that his conditions will not stop elections to go on as planned.

The Deputy President, who was accompanied by his Kenya Kwanza co-principal  and Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula, said the ODM chief boycotted the 2017 elections but it took place and the president was reelected. He said the Azimio brigade had been defeated by Kenya Kwanza on strategies and now they had resorted on publishing fake opinion polls. “They are now desperate and have resorted to drafting fake opinion polls that they were leading,” said.

But in Narok, Raila scoffed at his opponent’s call for him to drop out of  the August 9 elections if he has sensed defeat.

 “We only wanted to send a warning to IEBC that we will not allow our victory to be stolen,” said Raila who was accompanied by his running-mate Martha Karua.

Raila, who was in the campaign trail in Narok for the seventh time in the last 3 months, attended manifestos launch for three parliamentary candidates Francis Nkoitoi (Narok West), Stephen Kudate (Narok South), and Alfred Keriolale (Narok East) said the IEBC that it would not participate in a lopsided contest.

Speaking in Kiswahili he warned Ruto that he was ready to face  him in the ballot further warning him that he should stop insulting  him since he is not his age mate.

He further told Ruto that they were ready to face him in the August polls saying he doesn’t fear him and his team.

Karua asked members of the Maa community to stand with Azimio and vote for its candidates only.

Speaking  separately in Meru, Ruto’s running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, expressed confidence that Ruto will win the August 9th election .

 Accompanied by Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki and his Meru counterpart Mithika Linturi, the Kenya Kwanza brigade called on residents Imenti  North residents to ignore   Raila  accusing him of plotting to derail polls.