This archive report was first published on 17 September 2021.
On September 16, 2021, ODM Presidential aspirant Jimmi Wanjigi met with ODM delegates in a Homa Bay town hotel, where he expressed his intention to run for the presidency.
Wanjigi, a businessman, claims to have the formula to win the presidency in the 2022 elections, having supported President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga in their previous bids in 2013 and 2017.
He has petitioned ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna to consider his application for the party's presidential ticket, which he is eyeing alongside governors Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) and Hassan Joho (Mombasa).
Wanjigi's announcement has set the stage for a fierce contest between him and Raila, who is yet to officially declare his interest to run for the presidency but has hit the road on the platform of Azimio la Umoja.
Wanjigi has challenged the ODM National Elections Board (NEB) to conduct free and fair primaries to enhance democracy, saying, “We want our party to conduct credible nominations because that is one of the parameters which will enable ODM win the presidency in the forthcoming election.”
He has also cast doubt on political cooperation between President Kenyatta and Raila on the direction Mt Kenya region should take, saying, “There is doubt in the political cooperation between the two leaders. I believe Uhuru should have begun traversing Mt Kenya with Raila immediately after the handshake. But it is unfortunate he has not done so.”
Wanjigi has argued that Kenya needs fresh blood of politicians who can transform the economy and that long serving politicians should give way in 2022, saying, “The only way to save this country is to wipe the old guards from the political arena and pave way fresh blood.”
