Musalia Mudavadi tells Raila Odinga to stop claiming win

Kenya Kwanza leader Musalia Mudavadi. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Kenya Kwanza leader Musalia Mudavadi has told Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga to stop referring to himself as president-elect.

According to Mudavadi, Raila is committing an illegality since the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared William Ruto as the winner in the August 9 presidential race and gazetted him as president-elect.

Speaking in Kakamega on Friday where he campaigned for ANC governorship candidate Cleophas Malala, the former vice-president warned that the "Raila script" could end up with a mock swearing-in as it happened after the 2017 General Election.

"The other day he was in Mombasa misleading the masses that he is the president-elect. I dare him to show us the certificate given to him by IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati proclaiming him the president-elect if he really means it.

"Next he will be swearing himself in as the president but he must be warned as William Ruto is not Uhuru Kenyatta," he said.

He argued that the Oginga family had relegated the Luo community to opposition politics since independence and Raila is keen to sustain the legacy not only in Luo Nyanza but also in Mulembe Nation.

Mudavadi said he respected Raila as a statesman but it is time he went home as "fate had it that he will never be the president of Kenya."

The Amani leader, at the same time, asked the Luhyas to pray for Chebukati as he had faced intimidation even from "top military officers".

"They wanted to hijack Chebukati and make another (commissioner) declare someone else as president-elect yet Kenya is a democracy," Mudavadi claimed.

He asked residents of Kakamega to vote for Malala and his running mate Dr Beatrice Inyangala in order to give Dr Ruto more foot soldiers as he awaits to take over the country's leadership.

Ruto's victory has been challenged at the Supreme Court by Raila on claims of vote rigging.

Musalia said he had, through the campaigns leading up to the August 9 polls, walked across the county assuring locals that Ruto would be president and "he (Ruto) has already been pronounced president-elect.

"I also told you that Uhuru was leading Raila astray by helping him craft Azimio but led his Mount Kenya home turf to Kenya Kwanza whose prospects of forming government are now visible to all," he said.

Kakamega Senator-elect Boni Khalwale, who accompanied Mudavadi, thanked the locals for voting for him in large numbers and asked them to extend the favour to Malala.

"I want to go to the Senate and champion for more allocation to come to him (Malala) so that he can kick off development projects," he said.

Raila also drummed up support for ODM governor candidate Fernandes Barasa and his running mate Ayub Savula.