MACHARIA MUNENE: Raila's Mt Kenya inroads won't be broad or deep

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is trying to penetrate Mt Kenya. He's doing a lot to crack the region and there is no harm in trying.

Obviously, he will get some votes, maybe not as many as he would want to get, but he will certainly get something — the amount or number of votes is something else.

He already has some few people— businessmen and political heavy weights — rooting for him, though some of them have supported him before. That will give him a head start.

Raila will do better than he has done before in Central Kenya. But there is no guarantee that he  will claim a clean sweep or deep penetration of the region. 

He will make some inroads in the region, but not deep ones. And he is not the only one trying.

Deputy President William Ruto, his main competitor, will face the same problem. Climbing the mountain will not be a walk in the park for either of them.

First, it is a fact that they both have  politicians and tycoons rooting for them. But that doesn't mean the people will vote for them.

Winning votes is another matter. There is a big difference between what politicians say and what voters do.

Experience has shown that what leaders or politicians say is not necessarily what voters follow or do.

So, each of them is trying his best to see whether he can persuade segments of the population that are as large and wide as possible.

They both have different people who support them but we don't know whether that will translate to votes in August 2022.

They will each get some votes, but the two have the same issue and none of them can claim control over the region.

They have a lot of work to do to convince the region that they are the best option. So, Ruto and Raila have the same problem of penetrating different places and convincing voters that they are the right people.

The university don spoke to the Star 

(Edited by V. Graham)