Presidential aspirant Raila Odinga is set to appear before the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) panel on Sunday, June 5, 2022, for clearance ahead of the August General Election.

The former Prime Minister, who is seeking the presidency under the Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition party, is expected at Bomas of Kenya at around 10 am.

The ODM leader will be presenting his nomination papers for vetting ahead of the polls slated for August 9. Thereafter, he will head to Nakuru County where he is expected to address several roadside rallies before holding a major campaign at Mazembe Grounds.

Raila’s arch-rival cleared

Several leaders seeking to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta have appeared before the electoral body since the exercise kicked off in earnest a week ago. Some have received the green light to vie and others turned down.

Some of the big shots who have been cleared to run include Deputy President William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.

The Kenya Kwanza coalition leader received his clearance certificate on Saturday, June 4, 2022. He was cleared after fulfilling all the requirements set out by the constitution and the electoral body.

Raila among front runners

Ruto and Raila are touted as front runners in the highly-charged race with the latter having the blessings of President Uhuru who has been accused of managing his own succession.

Speaking to journalists shortly before his clearance yesterday, Ruto stated that his Kenya Kwanza alliance will stage a mother of all campaigns in a bid to woo Kenyans to vote in his favour come August.

“You haven’t seen any campaigns yet. Today marks the start of our serious campaigns which is a step towards shaping Kenya for the better,” he said.

After clearance, Ruto asked Kenya Kwanza supporters to focus on the imminent win that God will grant them in the August election.

“We are committed to the code of conduct that we have signed. We are confident with your stewardship of this election. On behalf of Kenya Kwanza, we don’t want to be favoured, we want to be treated equally like our competitors,” he said even as he appealed for objective reporting by media houses in the country.