WATCH: Raila thrashes Ruto in mock Nakuru election
Raila Odinga easily triumphed over William Ruto in a mock election recently conducted by a Kenya Television Network (KTN) presenter in Nakuru.
In the ‘election’ conducted at dusk on the streets of Kenya’s newest city, the presenter is seen asking a gathered crowd to participate in the poll by writing the name of their favourite presidential candidate.
Donning a black t-shirt with the television station’s logo on the front, the presenter asks a person standing next to him to hold his microphone before assuming the role of a returning officer, and counting the cast votes.
The poll results indicate Odinga has overwhelmingly won the ‘election’ by 50 votes, 40 more than second-placed George Wajackoyah.
Ruto emerged third with nine votes while the Mwaure Wahiga, the other candidate in the August 2022 Kenyan polls, did not garner a single vote.
Nairobi News could not establish how the crowd that participated in the mock elections was sourced.
This poll aside, Odinga, a seasoned politician, and Ruto, who’s served as Deputy President for the past nine years, are considered favourites to win the August 9 polls with recent opinion polls showing Odinga slightly ahead on the popularity rating.
Odinga is contesting for the presidency on an Azimio coalition ticket and has picked Martha Karua as his running mate.
As per the polls, the 78-year-old is known to enjoy support in the country from his native Kisumu and Western Kenya, plus a majority of Nairobi and Mombasa.
Ruto who is contesting on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket has settled on Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate. The polls place him as the most popular candidate in Central Kenya and the Rift Valley.
The winner of this election will succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta whose term of office has expired.