The new approach has the ODM leader and his running mate Martha Karua spearheading parallel but well coordinated Azimio campaigns as time ticks to the August 9 poll.
Karua, a former presidential candidate, is concentrating in the vote-rich Mt Kenya where she has taken charge since last Tuesday after being unveiled as second-in-command in the jumbo coalition.
Initially, Raila was scaling the Mountain alone but Karua has since assumed the Central Kenya assignment and has held numerous rallies in the region that had been leaning towards Deputy President William Ruto.
Part of the strategy is to cascade campaigns to the regions where experienced regional leaders are to lead the Azimio vote hunt in their areas.
ODM national chairman John Mbadi on Sunday told the Star that Raila will be focusing his energies on major events while his regional teams will run the grassroots mobilisations.
“Raila is going to have major events but the teams that are going to comb the villages are these regional teams and they are carefully chosen,” Mbadi said on phone.
The strategy is intended to help the Azimio team cover more ground across the country to counter Deputy President William Ruto who has been on the campaign trail for the last four years.
Political analyst Martin Andati observes that the splitting of campaigns has worked for the Azimio team especially in President Uhuru’s backyard.
According to Andati, the Karua factor in Central since her nomination has complicated the arithmetic for Kenya Kwanza team.
“It is a more effective way of campaigning. There is not so much time left. You split the country into regions,” Andati said.
“The deployment of Martha and Munya (Agriculture CS) seems to be working, it has thrown Ruto back to the drawing board.”
DP Ruto has in the last two days camped in Central Kenya with rallies in Nyeri and Murang'a to counter Karua’s infiltration of the region.
Ruto will again lead his troops to Kiambu on Monday for the County Economic Forum.
In the last five days, the Narc Kenya boss has done whirlwind tours of the Mountain holding huge rallies in Kirinyaga, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Murang'a, Nyeri and Kiambu counties.
Raila on the other hand has been to Kisumu and Narok to drum up support for his candidature and is heading to Western Kenya this week with rallies planned in Bungoma, Kakamega, Vihiga and Busia.
Yesterday, Raila and Karua were in Narok where they rallied the Masaai community to vote for their candidature, promising to address the problems in the region.
Karua told Kenyans to put the two political sides on a scale and see which side has the best interest of the country.
She said Azimio has leaders with development records and who can be trusted with development of the country as opposed to their opponents who, she said, have an uninspiring history.
“If you look at Raila- Karua ticket and compare with the other side, which team can you trust?” Karua said.
The entry of Karua on the campaign trail has also eased pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta who has now taken a back seat from the Azimio rallies.
According to Andati, Uhuru’s backseat is a strategy to avoid derailing Raila with incumbency as well as remove the project tag that Raila was being accused of.
“Raila was coming out as a project and he didn’t know how to tackle that without antagonizing Uhuru, so you tactically get Uhuru out, bring Martha to the fore. Martha is not anybody’s project,” he said.
But Kieni MP Kanini Kega – a close ally of the President – said the President will hit the campaign trail especially in Mt Kenya in the months of June and July.
Uhuru’s tour will begin from Nyeri county before moving to the other Mt Kenya counties.
“His countrywide campaigns will start with the Mountain. We do not just want him to the campaign. The President will also commission projects,” Kega was quoted by a local publication as saying.
To further make its campaigns more effective, the Azimio leader has also created 12 new campaign teams to drive Azimio campaigns up to the villages.
“I have created 12 formations to drive the Azimio campaign. The leadership of these teams will be announced on Wednesday,” Raila said last week.
The teams include National Azimio Women, National Azimio Youth, Nyanza and Western campaign team, the Rift Valley Team, Central Kenya Team, Coast Team and Team Nairobi.
Others are Team Ukambani, Nakuru, Laikipia and Nyandarua Unit as well as Team Mt Kenya East, North Eastern Team, Samburu, Marsabit and Isiolo Azimio Unit.
Raila is expected to unveil the leadership of the new formations on Wednesday in Nairobi.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is already in charge of the Azimio Western campaign deputized by Kisii Governor James Ongwae.
Under Oparanya is another team whose operations are to rally Nyanza region towards a 100 per cent voter turnout in the August 9 contest.
The team led by ODM chairman John Mbadi has been tasked with realising the highest turnout possible in the region to propel the ODM chief beyond the 50 per cent plus victory mark.
Other members of the team include Ochillo Ayacko (Migori senator), Simba Arati (Dagoretti North), Janet Ongera (Kisii Woman Representative), and Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu Governor), Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) and Cornel Rasanga (Siaya Governor).
Edited by Henry Makori
