Retired President Mwai Kibaki's nephew has revealed a well-cut-out master strategy that will see the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader, Raila Odinga, clinch the presidency in the August 9, 2022, elections.
Speaking to a local TV station on Thursday, January 6, Laikipia Governor, Ndiritu Muriithi, who was named as the chair of Raila Odinga Campaign Board, stated that the campaigns will start from county levels and will be conducted differently with the idea of consultations and dialogue being employed at every level.
The consultation forums will then break down to even smaller administrative units where a high-level team of professionals will have a more in-depth one-on-one conversation with the electorates and make it easy to convince them to elect Raila as President Uhuru Kenyatta's successor.
"We expect at the county level to have many consultations between citizens by citizens. So you expect countrywide engagements starting from county levels," Governor Muriithi stated.
Other than consultations, the outspoken governor revealed that the well-thought-out plan has already brought on board a team of professionals working behind the scenes to streamline Raila's campaigns plan.
Influential business leaders and entrepreneurs have also been included in the wider team at the heart of the former Prime Minister's campaigns board.
Kibaki's nephew went further to reveal other powerful figures in the team including Governors Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), James Ongwae (Kisii), Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) and Hassan Joho (Mombasa). All these are retiring governors, except for the chair and his Nakuru counterpart.
"You will see some key leading political figures and business persons as part of this board. You have seen my colleague governors. This is a high level team and our role is to provide oversight to an even wider team of professionals."
The board is a high level team that will provide oversight to an even broader team that is being assembled by Raila's lieutenants.
Part of the board's job includes planning and coordinating rallies, developing a communication strategy as well as overseeing the formulation of Raila’s election manifesto.
"Raila is a facilitator, something that is beyond him. It is about we Kenyans wanting a better future for ourselves. Therefore, saying who is the right manager, who is the right leader to move to that better Kenya," the governor stated.
In another interview with a local publication, Muriithi refuted claims of being fronted as Raila's running mate though acknowledging that it is one of his political ambitions.
“The aspiration of every politician is to reach the apex of a country’s political leadership. I am flattered at this suggestion of running mate, but I think it only makes my campaigns in Laikipia all the more interesting. We have work to do to ensure Raila becomes the fifth President, but we also have unfinished business in Laikipia."
Raila settled on Ndiritu to lead the campaigns team after a series of consultation meetings with other top leaders. Through a statement released to the media houses, he stated that Muriithi has amassed a lot of experience that would catapult his presidential ambitions to greater heights.
“Upon his election as Governor of Laikipia in 2017, he embarked on radical reforms of the county public service to make it professional and globally competitive. These efforts have been rewarded with unmatched growth of the county’s own source revenue, which has doubled since the 2016/2017 Financial Year,” a letter by Raila read.
The first-time Governor will be assisted by former Commissioner of the Domestic Taxes Department at Kenya Revenue Authority, Elizabeth Meyo, who is the Chief Executive Officer and secretary to the board.
