Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga has committed to attend the presidential debate set for July 2022.
In a joint interview on Tuesday, June 28, journalists asked Odinga whether he would grace the debate that is slated for next month.
The former prime minister said that he was always open to the debate citing the example of 2017 where he participated.
"I have participated before. The other time I debated alone (2017). I’m ready to attend the presidential debate but that will depend on availability and preparations," Odinga said.
On her part, Martha Karua said that she was looking forward to the presidential debate.
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On the other hand, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) advised Deputy President William Ruto to withdraw from the presidential debate.
The UDA secretariat cited media bias as the reason for advising their presidential candidate to boycott the debate.
"Under the current partisan media environment, we have advised our candidate against participating in the presidential debate," UDA said in a statement to media houses.
In a rejoinder, the presidential debate secretariat assured aspirants of fairness and accountability in this year's event.
The head of the secretariat Clifford Machoka said the guidelines governing the debates were developed in 2017, tested, and validated through various processes.
"The debates embody the principles of fairness, integrity, independence, and accountability as enshrined in the Presidential Debates Guidelines," Machoka affirmed.
