Majority of Kenyans want former Prime Minister Raila Odinga not to contest again for presidency.
According to a research by the Ipsos Synovate, 40 percent of Kenyans want Raila to quit politics completely while another 21 percent want him to remain active but not to vie for presidency again. Only 35 percent want Raila to remain active in politics and even contest if he chooses.
This puts the number of those who want Raila to vie again at 35 percent against 61 percent those who want him not to seek for an elective post again.
The poll also shows that amongst Cord supporters, which is headed by Raila, 34 percent believe he should not vie again. Majority of Cord supporters, 64 percent however want Raila to remain active in politics and also to vie again.
Majority of Jubilee supporters, 66 percent want Raila to retire from politics completely. 18 percent want him to continue being active in politics but not to vie again while 13 percent want him to continue being active and also to vie if he wishes.
The poll also indicates that the level of confidence for Raila amongst Jubilee supporters stands at 10 percent and 45 percent amongst Cord Supporters.
The poll was conducted between April 28 and May 7, 2014 with 2,059 Kenyan adults being interviewed at house hold level through face to face method across the country. Raila has been away in the United States for two months now. He left Kenya on March 10, two weeks after the fiasco of the ODM elections in Kasarani.
He was to attend a political programme at Boston University for former African political leaders where it is conditional that they do not get actively involved in politics while studying.
Before his departure, Raila handed over the party to outgoing Secretary General Prof Anyang Nyong’o who has been acting party leader.
Raila was supposed to return back last month but announced that he has extended his stay for a month. In his absence, his party ODM and Cord in general have remained rudderless with little activities.
After losing the elections last year, Raila announced he will not return to Parliament but will continue fighting for democracy outside the House.
Though Raila has maintained he was rigged out in the March 2013 elections in favour of Jubilee, he has not been specific on whether he wants to vie again in 2017.
If he decides to vie, he will be aged 72 and it will be his fourth time he will be vying for presidency. He first vied in 1997, tried again in 2007, and also in 2013.
-the-star.co.ke/
