Gatundu South Member of Parliament, Moses Kuria, has accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of distracting former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, from carrying out real campaigns and getting in touch with the realities facing the common mwananchi.
Speaking during the With All Due Respect show on NTV on Tuesday, July 12, Kuria argued that Uhuru had made Raila believe that the unity of the country was way more important than addressing the economic challenges facing its citizens.
He acknowledged that Azimio's campaign was issue-based, however, he insisted that Raila's defence for Uhuru's failures was doing a disservice to his candidature.
"The biggest problem with Azimio is that they are so distant from the realities of the common man. Sometimes I look at Raila and wonder if that is the man I knew. He has been taken away from reality by his brother (Uhuru).
"He has been taken away from the common man and their suffering which is driving the voter sentiment. For them, the Azimio common man is still in history where it is about unity and appeasement," Kuria argued.
Further, the lawmaker cited instances where the ODM boss had defended Uhuru from criticism over the rising cost of living making him unpopular among the electorate.
He explained that Uhuru's actions were giving the Kenya Kwanza faction led by Deputy President William Ruto a cutting edge among the electorate.
"Uhuru is my good friend and he has messed Raila by taking him away from the common man. Raila of the past was more to the common man than even us who were opposing him at that particular time. Now it is the reverse. Even in Kibra, they are not feeling him even though they will vote for him.
"When the price of maize flour rises, you find that Raila is the first one to defend saying that we should put the blame on Ukraine and not Uhuru. This is not him."
While on the campaign trail, Raila has occasionally defended Uhuru against onslaught from Ruto explaining that the high cost of living was occasioned by the Russia - Ukraine war.
Uhuru, on the other hand, has also been public of his appreciation for Raila having helped him navigate through the second term which he has often described as tough.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has in the recent past taken a break from Azimio campaigns with analysts stating that the move was a strategy by Azimio to sell the candidature of Raila without linking him to the failures of the Jubilee administration.
