Nairobi — Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga has withdrawn from the presidential debate scheduled to hold on Tuesday, July 26.
Odinga’s campaign secretariat said its candidate cannot share a national podium with a person who lacks “basic decency” even as they labelled their chief opponent, Kenya Kwanza’s William Ruto as “a man who has no regards for ethics, public morals or shame”.
“Our main opponent has proven over the course of his career that he will do and say anything in his ungovernable greed of power. Today, as his campaign flails and supporters abandon him, he has become desperate,” the secretariat’s spokesperson Prof Makau Mutua said in a statement released on Sunday.
“Any debate devoid of these questions would be an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans. That is why we do not intend to share a national podium with a person who lacks basic decency,” he added.
Mutua accused Ruto’s team of seeking to divert focus from corruption, integrity, ethics, and governance which are the key issues and concern facing Kenyans.
He went ahead to indicate that the issues form the core agenda of Azimio and any debate devoid of the questions revolving around the issues will be “an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans”.
Odinga’s campaign went on to state that it would be a big mistake to reward their opponent with the national debate which they claimed would amount to helping his falling campaign.
The Coalition however, stated that they will hold a televised town hall at Jericho Social Hall in Nairobi’s Eastlands where “ordinary Kenyans will be given a chance to offer solutions to the challenges facing the country and common people”.
“Our flag bearer Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua will openly answer questions put to them by the people of Kenya, honestly and free from what would otherwise be nothing more than empty self-serving political theater,” the campaign stated.