Why Raila Must Declare His 2022 Stand in the Next 4 Days

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has until February 26, 2021, to declare whether he’ll be vying for Presidency on the ODM Party ticket or not.

In January 2021, ODM in an advert on local dailies invited interested candidates to apply to be the party’s flag bearer in the 2022 presidential race.

In the advert, applicants were advised to pay Sh1 million non-refundable fees to the ODM account.

The applicants were also required to meet other conditions like; be a Kenyan citizen, a registered voter, a holder of a degree from a university recognised in Kenya, meet chapter six requirements on integrity among other issues.

“Applicants must meet all other requirements under the Elections Act and the Regulations made by IEBC. Interested applicants are advised to submit their applications to the party’s headquarters at Chungwa House by 12pm on February 26, 2021,” ODM elections board chair Catherine Mumma said.

In view of the above directive by ODM, Raila has four days to make his stand known by either applying for the post or not.

So far, reports indicate that Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya have applied.

It is worth noting that Odinga may fail to apply and still vie on an ODM ticket, as this could be a strategy by the party to confuse its opponents.

Meanwhile, Raila has on several occasions noted that he will officially address the 2022 election after the Building Bridges Initiative Bill is passed.