There are only 20 days remaining towards the next general elections and politicians, including the former prime minister Raila Odinga, are working hard day and night to secure votes.
The ODM leader will be vying for the presidency for the fifth time under the Azimio la Umoja-OKA Ticket.
Raila made the first attempt at the presidency in 1997. In 2007, 2013 and 2017 he also made similar attempts without success. He is however close to victory judging from the recent opinion polls and the fact that he has the richest voting block, that is Mt. Kenya, behind him.
As Raila focuses on his quest to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, some of his strong and key allies have been missing on his campaign trails especially at the time when politics is just heating up thus raising questions among citizens. These people include;
1.Gideon Moi
The Baringo senator has been missing in action in Azimio campaigns. The last time that Gideon was seen with Raila in public was during his clearance to vie for the presidential seat at Bomas of Kenya early last month.
He also appeared in a joint Azimio rally in early June. The rally was held in Narok but Raila was not present, Kalonzo Musyoka, Narok senator Ledama Ole Kina among other Azimio leaders were present.
Gideon is a national political figure and for him not to appear in the numerous Azimio campaigns has to raise questions. He is however still a supporter of Azimio and Raila’s presidency. He just stepped back from national politics to focus on his local campaigns because he will be defending his seat on August 9.
2.James Orengo
The Siaya senator and a very staunch supporter of Raila is another politician that has been conspicuously missing in Raila’s campaigns.
The stiff competition he is facing in the Siaya gubernatorial race is one of the key issues that have taken a toll on him, thus his absence in Azimio campaigns.
Orengo has concentrated on his backyards hoping to defeat his opponents come August 9. Orengo will be battling UDA’s Mary Oduor and Nicholas Gumbo of UDM, who is his biggest threat.
3.Raphael Tuju
The former Rarieda MP and former Jubilee secretary general has also been silent for quite some time thus forcing netizens to question his whereabouts with some wondering if he is okay.
Tuju plays a key role in Azimio and it is very awkward for him to be silent and also not feature in Azimio rallies. He was appointed the Executive Director of Azimio secretariat in April this year. Because of the role, he is required to oversee the day to day operation of Azimio campaigns.
4.Millie Odhiambo
Odhiambo is the Suba North MP and also a key supporter of Raila from Nyanza. Of late however she hardly accompanies Raila and the reasons for that have been attributed to her beef with Homabay Woman Rep and gubernatorial hopeful Gladys Wanga.
She is also among the key people from Nyanza who were not included in Raila’s campaign team. Another factor for her silence in national politics is that she is busy with grassroots campaigns as she seeks to defend her MP seat.
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