On Thursday, June 2, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential candidate William Ruto said he will not be taking part in this year’s presidential debate.
Through his WSR Campaign Communications Director Hussein Mohammed, Ruto raised concerns about fairness and questioned the media’s credibility saying Kenyan media houses have been biased in covering campaign rallies conducted by the Kenya Kwanza team.
“We have noted with much concern the repeated and continued bias and propaganda in a section of Kenya’s mainstream media in abuse of statutory,” he said.
In response, the Presidential Debates Secretariat’s through a statement assured all presidential candidates and the public at large that the debate will be inclusive, fair and objective.
“Planning for the 2022 debates has been underway since 2021 and plans are currently at very advanced stages. Specifically, we have involved various stakeholders, including presidential aspirants – including the WSR Presidential Campaign, – to map their expectations,” part of the statement read.
“In these consultations, we will continue to ensure the debates are as inclusive and representative as possible. Indeed, for us to take our country forward, it behoves us to work together rather than threaten processes that are important to the country,” the statement further adds.
The actual date of the debate is yet to be announced.
This is not the first time front runners are boycotting the exercise since in 2017 President Uhuru left then NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga to debate alone.
On the other hand, Ruto and the then NASA running mate Kalonzo Musyoka skipped the running mates debate as well. At the time, Muthiora Kariara, the then running mate for Independent presidential candidate Japhet Kavinga Kaluyu was the only one who attended the exercise.
