Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga is viewed as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s most preferred successor ahead of the August 2022 general elections, a study has revealed.

According to a November 7 to 13, 2021 survey conducted by the Trends and Insights For Africa (TIFA), many Kenyans assume that Uhuru prefers Raila to Ruto as his successor.

“More than five times as many Kenyans assume that Uhuru prefers Raila rather than Ruto as his successor (48% vs. 9%),” the survey said in part.

TIFA further stated that one-third of Kenyans are uncertain as to who Uhuru would like to be Kenya’s next president at a total standing of (33%), though a small but a significant minority of about (5%) believe the President is yet to make up his mind.

“Since mid-last year, the proportion of Kenyans who believe that Raila is Uhuru’s preferred successor has continued to increase, even if still fewer than half of them hold this view,” the report further said.

Whereas more residents of Raila’s home turf of Nyanza believe Raila is Uhuru’s preferred successor than in any other part of the country (58%), the zone in which more residents hold this belief about Ruto is Coast (14%).

Similar to the case with Raila, residents of the home areas of Gideon Moi (Central Rift), Kalonzo Musyoka (Lower Eastern) and Musalia Mudavadi (Western) are the most confident that Uhuru prefers their most popular potential presidential candidate to succeed him (5%, 4% and 2%, respectively), though Mudavadi’s figure for Nairobi is the same as that for Western (2%).