The general elections in Kenya are slated for August 9, 2022. The President, members of the National Assembly and Senate, county governors, and representatives to the 47 county legislatures are all up for election.
According to the Kenyan Constitution, there must be a general election for members of parliament every five years on the second Tuesday in August. As a result, the next general election is set for August 9, 2022.
Due to the two-term limit in the Kenyan Constitution, the current president, Uhuru Kenyatta is ineligible to run for a third term.
Only four candidates and their running companions had been cleared as of June 6, 2022. After it was discovered that Walter Mong’are’s degree was not from a recognized university as needed by law, his nomination to run for president was withdrawn. the contenders on the final list for the presidency are:
1.David Waihiga Mwaure, leader of Agano Party.
2.Raila Odinga, former Prime Minister of Kenya (2008–2013) and leader of Orange Democratic Movement, under Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance.
3.William Ruto, current Deputy President of Kenya (2013–present) and leader of United Democratic Alliance.
4.George Wajackoyah, leader of Roots Party of Kenya.
Wajackoyah and Waihiga are unproven candidates for president, whereas Ruto and Odinga are the front-runners. Candidates who have little to no chance of overtaking a frontrunner are typically considered fringe candidates.
However, they are crucial in gauging the maturity of democratic settings. They also gain personal advantages, such as preparation for potential political careers.
1.David Waihiga Mwaure: He is a Kenyan lawyer and ordained minister. He is best known as the Managing Partner and Founder of Mwaure and Mwaure Waihiga and Co. Advocates and has more than 35 years of legal experience.
Mwaure is making a second attempt to win the presidency after expressing interest in the office in 2013 but later giving up his aspirations.
Mwaure, an ordained gospel preacher, is hardly a newcomer to politics; his Agano Party was established 16 years ago. He has previously run for a variety of elected positions at the county and constituency levels.
The Senior Counsel, who has pledged to slay the corruption dragon, is making a second run for the presidency after first putting himself up on October 25, 2010.
He eventually dropped out of the contest and decided to run for governor of Lamu County, where he owns a law business. He has been involved in legal practice there for a long time.
2. Raila Odinga: He is a politician, former Member of Parliament for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya since 2013.
Odinga is the presidential candidate for ODM under the Azimio La Umoja Coalition for the presidential elections slated for August 2022, having been cleared by the IEBC on June 5, 2022.Prior to this, he contested the presidential election four times: 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.
In his first bid for the presidency in the 1997 General Election, Odinga finished third after President Moi, the incumbent, and Democratic Party candidate Mwai Kibaki. He however retained his position as the Langata MP.
3. William Ruto: William Samoei Arap Ruto is a Kenyan politician currently serving as Deputy President of Kenya since April 2013. On March 15, 2022, Ruto was endorsed by UDA as the party’s presidential candidate for Kenya’s presidential election set for August 2022.
After graduating from University of Nairobi in 1990, Ruto was employed as a teacher in the North Rift region of Kenya from 1990 to 1992,where he was also the leader of the local African Inland Church(AIC) Choir.
Ruto began his political career when he became the treasurer of the YK’92 campaign group that was lobbying for the re-election of President Moi in 1992, from where he learnt the ropes of Kenyan politics. He is also believed to have accumulated some wealth in this period. After the 1992 elections, President Moi disbanded YK’92 and Ruto attempted to vie for various KANU branch party positions but did not succeed.
4. George Wajackoyah: George Wajackoyah is a Kenyan politician, lawyer, priest, and educationist. He is best known as the leader of the Roots Party, a political party in Kenya championing the legalisation of bhang. Wajackoyah has an impressive resume and has used his law firm to represent some of the most influential people in society.
He was born on October 24, 1959 at St Mary’s Hospital in Jinja, Uganda. He is the son of Tito Olilo Jakoya (father) and Melenia Makokha (mother). Although he was born in Uganda, he is Kenyan through his father.
George Wajackoyah grew up in Indangalasia village in West Wanga, Mumias, Kakamega County, Kenya. Indangalasia village is the same village where his father was born and raised. Also, George’s mother is Kenyan and was born in Butula, Busia County, Kenya. Wajackoyah gets his Ugandan roots from his mother.
