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The day Uhuru skipped the presidential debate


President Uhuru Kenyatta elected to skip the 2017 presidential debate in a move that left the country in speculation mode.

The retiring Head of State was gunning for a second term in office at the time and it was widely expected he would appear in person at the debate to articulate his achievements in the first time as well as policies ahead of his second term as the country’s Chief Executive.

But alas!

He not only stayed away but also dismissed the debate as a ‘waste of time’ while accusing the media of favouritism towards Raila Odinga, his main rival for the presidency in that election.

President Kenyatta also addressed his absence on the campaign trail, arguing his development record spoke for itself and thus he had nothing to debate with Odinga.

“I decided to skip the debate because my scorecard speaks for itself, the votes are with the people on the ground therefore I was not going to waste my time there,” he said.

Odinga who is threatening to skip Tuesday’s debate appeared for the one Kenyatta skipped and articulated his issues.

He accused President Kenyatta of overborrowing and misusing public resources instead of investing in projects to create jobs.

The 2017 debate had eight candidates namely Abduba Dida, Ekuru Aukot, Cyrus Jirongo, Japhet Kavinga, Michael Wainaina, and Joseph Nyagah (now deceased).

Despite skipping the debate, President Kenyatta was declared the winner of the election but his victory was nullified by the Supreme Court which cited irregularities and illegalities in the way the process was conducted.

The Supreme court ordered a fresh election within 60 days which Odinga boycotted leading to Kenyatta’s re-election in a landslide.