A report by Sky News, a news outlet based in the United Kingdom (UK), revealed how youths were paid to attend final rallies presided over by Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga and his UDA counterpart William Ruto at the Kasarani and Nyayo Stadia respectively.
In a feature dubbed Eyewitness, correspondent Yousra Elbagir trailed a group of four youths on Saturday, August 6, who attended both rallies.
In their UDA-branded t-shirts, they arrived at the stadium, with whistles in their mouths and Ruto's posters in their hands. However, they left the stadium shortly after and informed Elbagir that they had to be elsewhere.
"We are hustling. We were paid by political brokers between Ksh500 -1,000 to attend this rally," stated Sylvester, the leader of the group.
The four left and headed towards Thika Road, where the Azimio rally was scheduled to take place. However, they alighted a kilometre away from the venue as a security measure.
Sylvester explained that they needed to take off the UDA branded merchandise at a safe distance from Kasarani to avoid clashing with Raila supporters. He also disclosed how much they were paid to attend the rally.
"When you encounter an opposing side, you have to be very cautious. Everybody wants money; we were paid Ksh1,500 to attend this rally," he narrated.
The youth stated that they were just trying to put food on their table owing to the biting economic situation in the country. In addition, they reckoned that attendance in rallies did not relate to how they would vote.
"When you are offered money, you cannot refuse to take it but at the end of the day, we know where our passion and votes lie," he stated.
Elbagir also had a brief interview with the former Prime Minister who assured that his reporters would remain calm in the event that he is not declared the winner of the August 9 elections.
"My supporters are always peaceful. In 2007, the elections were rigged and my people were dissatisfied but they were not the ones who actually caused the violence," Odinga stated.
Saturday, August 6, was the last campaign day, with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) capping the campaigns at 48 hours before the August 9 General Election.
