Majority of Kenyans prefer a female deputy president from Mount Kenya region, a new TIFA research released on Monday shows.

Some 41 per cent of Kenyans want Deputy President William Ruto to pick a female running mate from the region.

At the same time, among those who were polled, 32 per cent preferred Raila Odinga’s deputy to come from the Mount Kenya region.

“For Ruto, there is a higher recommendation for a female running mate amongst the youth as compared to older generation. For Raila, the same mentions are at par for both genders,” the TIFA poll stated.

According to the poll, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru is best bet to deputise Ruto at 15 per cent while 13 per cent are recommending Martha Karua as Raila’s running mate.

Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu got a five per cent recommendation to pair up with the ODM leader in the August presidential poll.

“Notably, Anne Waiguru and Martha Karua are from Mt Kenya region which has been touted as the possible source of the next running mate for both William Ruto and Raila Odinga.

“Both have invested time and resources in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region,” the poll added.

TIFA carried out the research in all 47 counties

The survey has a margin error of 2.49 per cent and was funded by the research firm.pd