SURVEY: Most Kenyans want Raila to retire
By AGGREY MUTAMBO and WAGA ODONGO
More than half of Kenyans believe Cord leader Raila Odinga should not contest in the next General Election despite being the most popular challenger to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
A study published by research firm Ipsos shows that three in every 10 Kenyans prefer Mr Odinga to retire completely from politics, while another 22 per cent want him to concentrate on growing his party instead of vying again.
The study done between November 7 and 19 also shows 56 per cent of Jubilee supporters want him to retire from politics but 70 per cent of Cord supporters polled said he should remain active and contest for the presidency if he wants to.
The results were published just two days after the Cord leader reiterated that he feels strong to contest again, but Ipsos admitted that there could be a big shift if respondents were asked the same questions today.
“I have several bullets in my magazine. I don’t believe 2017 will be my last chance,” Mr Odinga told Citizen TV in an interview on Monday.
“I have had several opportunities before which were messed up, as you know,” he added, referring to three previous presidential attempts.
POPULAR COALITION
Mr Odinga lost to President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2013 General Election having garnered 5,340,546 votes against President Kenyatta’s 6,173,433, according to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Meanwhile, the same study has revealed that Jubilee is the most popular political coalition.
The poll found that 45 per cent of Kenyans said that they identify with Jubilee alliance whereas 32 per cent preferred Cord.
Seventy-seven per cent respondents identified with political parties and only 52 per cent think parties represented Kenyans’ interests.
Fifty-seven per cent of Jubilee supporters said no party represented Kenyan’s interests compared to 42 per cent on the Cord side.
Respondents rated their governor higher than either their senator, county government or ward representatives.