• He made the announcement at the Azimio la Umoja convention on Friday.
"I hereby declare that I will present myself for election..."
It's official. ODM leader Raila Odinga will be on the ballot in 2022.
He made the announcement at the Azimio la Umoja convention on Friday.
"I do hereby accept to present myself as a presidential candidate for the presidential elections of August 9, 2022 following the request and unanimous decision by Azimio la Umoja," Raila said.
"I’m in this race to mould one indivisible nation. I‘m not at war with any personalities. I’m at war with ideologies that would lead this nation the wrong direction."
He launched the Azimio la Umoja movement, which he said will be a coalition.
"Aendelee ama asiendelee (Should I give it another go or not)?" Raila asked the crowd, which responded in the affirmative.
The ODM leader said he will soon release his manifesto, which will address critical issues such as corruption, public debt, industrialisation, ICT and digital economy and promotion and protection of business especially private property.
Raila said his handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta was not a self-enriching enterprise.
He said that he will never ask for anything from it, except for the opportunity to serve.
"I must add here that with this reconciliation, I ask for nothing and I will never ask for anything except the opportunity to serve," he said.
The former Prime Minister said that peace making is not a self-enriching enterprise, but a calling from God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God."
Raila noted that the handshake with Uhuru was born out of the understanding that their fathers dreamt of plenty within our borders, but poverty had taken root.
"In the course of our discussions we agreed that Kenya is greater than the two of us. We agreed that despite years of effort, project Kenya had not taken off the way our fore fathers envisaged," Raila said.
He also thanked Kenyans for turning out in large numbers to celebrate his big day.
Before Raila took to the podium, his wife, Ida Odinga, officially handed him over to Kenyans as he seeks the country's top seat.
Ida said that she believes that Raila is capable of changing the status of this country.
"I want to release you to perform, to do what you need to do for the multiple people…I know you won't let them down...People of Kenya, I release Raila to you today," Ida said in her speech.
Ida said Raila has big dreams about how to change the country in terms of education, good healthcare for the people as well as creating employment for the youth.
"For many years, Raila has believed that Kenya can be a good place, better than what we have today, and he is capable of making Kenya a better place than what we have today," she said.
She added that he always worries about the future of the young people and what kind of nation will be left for them.
"These young people require medical care, they need meaningful jobs and that can only occur if we perfect and resurrect our industries."
"It pains me when I see us depend on things that are imported that can be produced in this country. I fail to understand; what can we do so that we do not import eggs as if the chicken in Kenya cannot lay eggs," she said.
Ida said that the former Prime Minister is capable of transforming the country.
"Today in the life of Kenyans, there's only one thing I know you want me to say, and I will say it today. As a good friend and my husband, I know what he is capable of doing and the passion he has had for the many years that have spilt over to 40 years, is the love for this nation and the people of Kenya," Ida said.
Edited by CM