Azimio La Umoja Presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, unsuccessfully contested the presidency four times starting with 1997, then 2007, 2013 and 2017. His fifth stab at the presidency was during the just concluded August 9, 2022, polls.
Many speculated that his participation in the 2017 presidential election was his last attempt to clinch the presidency. However, he pulled a surprise when he announced that he would contest again this year.
His candidature received a boost after President Uhuru Kenyatta endorsed him. The formation of Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition party was formed, bringing together more than 20 political parties.
Kenyans.co.ke looks at four instances where Raila contested for the presidency and promised to accept the outcome of the election.
1997
His first attempt to clinch the country’s top seat was in 1997 when he ran on the National Development Party (NDP) ticket. He lost but stayed active in politics.
In 1997, Moi won that election with 2.45 million votes, followed by the late Mwai Kibaki of the Democratic Party who got 1.9 million votes. Raila was a distant third with 665,000 votes.
2007
This was the bloodiest election in the history of Kenya.
The 2007 presidential election provisional results indicated that Raila was leading. But the tide changed when the final results announced by then Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) chairperson, the late Samuel Kivuitu, declared Kibaki the winner.
Kibaki was declared the winner with 4.58 million votes against Raila’s 4.35 million votes, a difference of 231,000 votes.
Raila rejected the results citing irregularities. The dispute led to post-election violence in which more than 1,300 people were killed and more than 600,000 others displaced.
2013
President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared president when he made a second attempt at the presidency. Results placed Uhuru in the lead with 50.07 per cent, while Raila came in second with 43.31 per cent of the total votes cast.
Raila disputed the presidential poll and filed a petition at the Supreme Court, which upheld Uhuru's victory.
Uhuru won the election with 6.17 million votes, against Raila’s 5.34 million votes.
2017
This was the fourth time Raila was contesting for the State House seat against the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.
He came in second when the IEBC declared the results. IEBC announced Uhuru as the winner after garnering 54 per cent of the votes cast (7.7 million votes), while Raila came second with 45 per cent (6.3 million votes).
Raila took the case to the Supreme Court and Uhuru's win was nullified after the highest court in the country led by Chief Justice (Rtd) David Maraga cited technicalities that affected the credibility of the polls.
Raila also declared he would not participate in the October 26 repeat polls, and Uhuru emerged victorious for the second time.
Raila and his supporters did not accept the elections, arguing that they had boycotted the repeat election.
Uhuru was, nevertheless, declared the winner with 7.48 million votes, against Raila’s 73,200.
