Uhuru, Ruto best for their alliances – poll

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 11 – A new opinion poll released on Friday shows that Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta are the most preferred presidential candidates for their respective political alliances formed last week.

The poll by CPS International indicates that Kenyatta is the most preferred Jubilee Alliance flagbearer over Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi at 80.3 percent to the latter’s 12.3 percent.

Odinga, on the other hand, is preferred to contest the presidency in the CORD Alliance at 68.5 percent against Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka’s 24.6 percent, according to the firm’s director Dann Mwangi.

Mwangi said the study pitted Jubilee’s Kenyatta against Mudavadi and CORD’S Odinga against Musyoka.

Out of 1,702 respondents interviewed in 40 counties countrywide, between December 6 and 9, Mudavadi emerged top in Western province garnering 65 percent to Uhuru’s 29.5 percent.

The Prime Minister emerged top as the preferred CORD presidential candidate with 68.5 percent over Kalonzo’s 24.6 percent.

The Vice President was more popular in Central province getting an approval rating of 62.2 percent to Raila’s 20.4 and in Eastern province leading with 76.6 percent.

In the event that Kenyatta backs Mudavadi as the presidential nominee, Mwangi was quick to caution that it would not automatically mean a transfer of support to Mudavadi.

“If Uhuru does not vie and he endorses Musalia, it does not automatically translate that those who were to vote for Uhuru will vote for Musalia,” he said.

The findings show that Presidential aspirants Peter Kenneth and Martha Karua would benefit if this ends up being the case.

These figures seem to corroborate the stand taken by over 40 legislators in the Jubilee Coalition that they would only support an Uhuru nomination.

The CPS International numbers are however, in conflict with a Strategic Insight International poll released Sunday that showed Mudavadi would emerge victorious if pitted against Raila in the race for President.

The CPS poll indicates the opposite with Raila beating Mudavadi by 3.6 pecent resulting in a run off.

Even with Kalonzo as the CORD flag bearer, Mwangi explained, Mudavadi as the Jubilee presidential nominee would still come in second.

“None can win in the first round therefore, they would go for a second round.

In this case, Kalonzo would beat Mudavadi. Those who are undecided are at 12.1 percent meaning the two voters still have a chance to exploit the voters who are undecided.”

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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