Ruto Continues Leading Against His Rival Raila Odinga~Survey Shows
Deputy President William Ruto is still maintaining the lead as the most preferred presidential candidate ahead of the August general election.
A survey done by TIFA research firm shows that 38 per cent of Kenyans prefer the DP as their next president ahead of his political rival in the Azimio la Umoja movement, Raila Odinga.
The survey shows that Raila is trailing behind Ruto who has intensified his campaigns across the country with 27 per cent, an 11 per cent difference between them.
Though Ruto is still ahead of the ODM leader, the survey shows that Raila has gained popularity since he launched his presidential bid in December last year.
“There was a steady decline in Odinga’s rating between June 2020 and June 2021 (from 18% to 15%) but that has changed in the current survey that shows that Odinga’s popularity has risen to 27%, the most recent increase being a reflection of the public launch of his candidacy on December 10, 2021,” Tifa noted in its survey released on Thursday 17.
According to the survey, Ruto’s lead in the race to the State House is blended with the popularity of his party UDA which has gained support over the last few months.
The survey shows that Ruto’s UDA has gained most of its supporters from Jubilee and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) parties which are headed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga respectively. TIFA says that 73 per cent of those supporting UDA were former Jubilee supporters while another 14 per cent are from ODM.
“Nealy three-quarters of those who are now supporting UDA (73%) have come from Jubilee in the last 18 months.
“But ODM has also suffered considerable attrition in this regard, a fact that helps to explain Ruto’s continuing national lead over his main rival Raila Odinga,” the pollster explained.
After Ruto and Raila, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka come third as the most preferred candidate followed by ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi.
The poll also shows that 20 per cent of Kenyans have not decided on who among the presidential candidates they will vote for in the next polls.
