Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna has given credit to the retired president Uhuru Kenyatta, for leading a steadfast campaign for the Azimio coalition in the 2022 general election.

Sifuna said Uhuru gave his full support to Raila Odinga and the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition by lending all his political might.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with K24 TV, Sifuna has said that Uhuru not only supported the activities of the campaign financially but also had the support of the entire nation, showing that he was personally and politically invested in the success of the coalition. Sifuna has attributed Raila’s defeat in the 2022 general elections to leaders within the Orange Democratic Movement mismanaging the campaigns.

“Uhuru helped in a great way to campaign for Raila’s presidency in 2022. I have heard people say that Uhuru did not do enough for Raila’s election. Uhuru opened up the mountain region for us to campaign. Our only responsibility was to convince the people, but some leaders in Azimio made us lose the elections because of their ill-speaking despite the facilitation we had from Uhuru Kenyatta,” Sifuna said.

Uhuru’s input

The ODM secretary general has further claimed that Uhuru aided Azimio with both cash and in-kind, and thus the presidential contender had the financial and visibility resources to contest Deputy President William Ruto.

Notwithstanding this strong backing, the coalition eventually lost it, a failure that Sifuna does not blame on the commitment by the former president but instead on poor management and missteps by Azimio itself.

Using crucial funds and logistical preparations, the major operatives supposedly mismanaged the important funds and the coordination of the election agents.

Sifuna cited examples of election agents who were not properly supported and those who were important in the preservation of votes, and this compromised the success of the investment made by Uhuru. In his language, the current critics of Uhuru had taken advantage of his work in the past but were unable to put it to strategic use.

Sifuna has publicly made known the sacrifices of Uhuru and even apologised on behalf of some party leaders who had humiliated the fourth president following the defeat. This episode highlights a bitter fact among Azimio followers; though Uhuru was a steadfast supporter, the lapses within the institutions and the inability of some leaders to be responsible were the ultimate cause of the defeat of the coalition.

The 2022 experience demonstrates the importance of the success of elections not only in high-profile endorsements but also in disciplined, responsible leadership throughout all levels of a campaign.