Deputy President William Ruto could skip the 2022 presidential debate scheduled for July this year.
In the statement sent to newsrooms on Thursday, June 2, Ruto's campaign team said they had advised their presidential candidate against attending the presidential debate over what they termed 'biased coverage by media.'
"We note the unequal allocation of coverage, compounded by biased framing and negative profiling of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance campaign and personalities affiliated to it," part of the statement signed by Hussein Mohamed, Head of Communications in Ruto’s presidential campaign, read.
Hussein said that the Kenya Kwanza team expected the media to play their rightful role in cultivating a healthy, robust, and inclusive discourse.
"Under the current partisan media environment, we have advised our candidate against participating in the Presidential debates," the statement added.
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The Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) recently announced that the presidential debate (first session) will take place on July 12, 2022, while the second session is scheduled for July 26, 2022.
According to the Editorial Guild, in between the two debates, there will be debates for presidential running mates.
Read Also: Editorial Guild Announces Dates for 2022 Presidential Debate
KEG President Churchill Otieno said that debates play a significant role in helping the public shape their decisions.
“The media started the Presidential Debates in 2013. Media houses do not have preferred candidates in the upcoming election...they are in the hands of respectful professionals and that’s why this will be independently managed,” he stated.
