ODM leader Raila Odinga plans on securing a significant number of votes from the Mt Kenya region and his trip to the home of Royal Media Services owner S.K Macharia was the first part of the plan.
Reports by NTV indicated that Raila was targeting at least 50 percent of votes from the vote-rich region. The former Prime Minister revealed that he would be touring the country with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This was looked into as President Kenyatta's approval of the ODM leader's bid in 2022. A section of the president's allies from the region expressed their support for Odinga.
Political analyst Herman Manyora spoke to Kenyans.co.ke and reiterated that it was possible for Raila to secure a significant number of votes from the Mt Kenya region if he got the right kind of support.
Manyora noted that Odinga had already laid the plan by mingling with the right kind of people from the region from billionaires to political and religious people who can help sell him to the voters.
"He only needs to target specific people which he is already doing, and these people can help him get 20 percent or even 30 percent of votes from Mt Kenya, then he will be on the right track. The billionaires will help get him the church leaders and the church leaders will help get him the people," the political analyst stated.
He explained that in the 2013 and 2017 elections the ODM leader managed to secure less than 10 percent of the votes, and the margins were slim in the presidential race.
Raila and Uhuru will be touring the country in August as the President seeks to showcase his achievements in his second term, and Odinga is looking to popularise his candidature for the top seat in 2022.
In the recent past, the political scenario has shifted with Raila's partners in the National Super Alliance (NASA) alienating him and ODM to focus on their newly found outfit.
Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi, Ford Kenya's Moses Wetangula, and Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka have all claimed that the NASA coalition was in the past as they focus on the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) alongside their KANU counterpart Gideon Moi.
Political analyst Mark Bichache affirmed that Raila's chances at clinching the presidency are pegged on his alliances.
"If Uhuru backs Ruto, the status quo for the Deputy President remains the same because he's banking on the Central region and the Rift. It would make it easier for him to score 100 percent in Mt Kenya, but what about the rest of the country? The ideal thing is for Uhuru to take back Raila.
"Raila knows that if he backs down and supports someone such as Mudavadi, they have a greater chance of winning. He also knows that if he stays in the race and his NASA counterparts back him, then he's assured of the presidency," Bichache told Kenyans.co.ke.
