NASA Experts Committee Gives 4 Reasons Why Raila Must be on the Ballot

The National Super Alliance (NASA) technical committee recommended that ODM leader Raila Odinga must be on the ballot for the Opposition to have a chance against President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The committee, which had been formed to recommend the method of picking the coalition's Presidential flagbearer gave four reasons why Odinga must be on the ballot for NASA to have a chance against Jubilee. 

Firstly, the coalition concluded that the ODM leader was the strongest challenger in a race against President Kenyatta.

Secondly, they established that the absence of Odinga in the ballot would result in massive voter apathy in Odinga's strongholds which are vital in NASA's vote basket. 

Thirdly, the committee stated that if Odinga was to endorse any of his co-principals, the NASA strongholds such as Coast would become battlegrounds that could go to Jubilee.

Lastly, the committee explained that the only hope of NASA eating into Jubilee strongholds of Mt Kenya and Rift Valley lay in an Odinga-led alliance.

According to the committee, led by Siaya Senator James Orengo and his Machakos counterpart Johnson Muthama, Odinga should get the presidential ticket with Kalonzo Musyoka of the Wiper Party as his running mate.

The technical team, which concluded its deliberations on Tuesday, is convinced that the Raila-Kalonzo pair won the highly contested 2013 elections and they would still get the vote if they ran again.

In view of these findings, the committee submitted that the presidential candidate ought to be picked through primaries to determine the most popular candidate. 

The new development comes even as Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Ford Kenya's Moses Wetangula continue to call on Odinga to endorse a line up where they would both be on the ballot.