•The movement also christened 'Rauka' is part of the coalition’s 15-million-vote-strong campaign that will see Raila team escalate their countrywide tours.
•The latest campaign is a reminiscence of his 2017 10-million-strong rallying call that marked the last days of his offensive against Jubilee’s President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Image: GEORGE MURAGE
Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga on Thursday unveiled an aggressive campaign to push for massive voter turnout to deliver at least 15 million votes for him in the August 9 general election.
The 'Firimbi' movement was unleashed as another tactic in Azimio’s last call to soar up its numbers.
The new strategy launched in Nakuru will be replicated in all the other 46 counties in heightened battle with Deputy President William Ruto.
The movement, also christened Rauka, is part of the coalition’s 15-million-vote-strong campaign that will see Raila team escalate their countrywide tours in the next nine days to push for a round-one victory.
The latest campaign is reminiscent of his 2017 10-million-strong rallying call that marked the last days of his offensive against Jubilee’s President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We have returned to Nakuru; this rally is different from the previous ones. We have come to make a Nakuru declaration,” Raila said during a rally at Kisulisuli grounds.
“We are launching the ‘Firimbi’ movement, it will be in two parts - one to alert people against the corrupt and a clarion call to people to come out and vote.”
Raila led the rally to blow whistles marking a new phase of his campaign.
“On August 9, the clarion call that will sound across the nation will be 'firimbis' to remind every voter to come out and exercise their constitutional right. It will also be a unifying call to action,” he said.
With the launch, the fifth-time presidential candidate declared his march to State House has begun and called on Kenyans to back his bid terming August 9 an opportunity to decide their future.
In a show of might, Raila and his team landed in branded choppers inscribed with 15-million-strong, Azimio slogans and imposing pictures of himself and his running mate Martha Karua.
The aggressive branding witnessed in Nakuru that included some high-end vehicles, analysts said, gives a snippet of the billions Azimio has deployed to counter Ruto a few days before the elections.
Raila unveiled his Azimio machine in Nakuru on August 17, 2021, as he built momentum for the declaration of his fifth stab at the presidency.
Nakuru is a significant vote hunting ground given that it is a highly cosmopolitan region with a mosaic of Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Kisii, Luo, and Luhyas among other major tribes.
It is the third county with the largest number of registered voters.
It has 1,054,856 votes.
“Nakuru is the history from colonial times. We are at a crossroads thinking about which way to go. The choice rests with Kenyans, we have explained our agenda and the four enemies of our country,” Raila said.
Governor Lee Kinyanjui drummed up support for Raila saying he has the best interest of the country at heart.
“Azimio was birthed in Nakuru, we are responsible for nurturing it to fruition,” Kinyanjui said.
Raila promised a massive crackdown on graft cartels should he win.
Corruption, he said, has increased over the years to rival the independence challenges of poverty, ignorance and diseases.
He said he will take bold and decisive action including jailing all corrupt leaders to end the country's endemic corruption.
“We are declaring a crackdown against corruption, this elections will be between those who yearn for change and those who are pro-status quo,” Raila said.
The ODM boss urged Kenyans to back his bid insisting that only Azimio has the wherewithal to battle graft.
Martha Karua blasted William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza team accusing them of seeking power to protect their ill-gotten wealth.
Citing the High Court ruling compelling UDA running mate Rigathi Gachagua to surrender Sh202 million to the state, Karua dismissed Kenya Kwanza as unfit to lead urging the region to back the Azimio ticket.
“I have seen breaking news, he (Rigathi) has been told to surrender Sh202 million. Kenyans now know which team to trust when it comes to safeguarding public resources,” Karua said.
Cotu boss Francis Atwoli warned Kenyans not to experiment with the next month's polls but to bring the country back on track by choosing their leaders wisely.
“If you make bad choices you will face the consequences, don’t blame anyone,” Atwoli said.
Raila was accompanied by Narok senator Ledama Ole Kina, Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Sabina Chege (Muranga MP), Cotu boss Francis Atwoli, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, Mombasa governor Hassan Joho and Mukhisa Kituyi.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris