As campaigning for upcoming presidential elections nears end, political parties in Kenya make last bids to woo voters

Kenya presidential elections are on, and candidates have been campaigning for votes. All the candidates are scheduled to make one last pitch in Kenya's presidential race on Saturday. This will end months of intense campaigning before the election on August 9.

William Ruto, the deputy president, and Raila Odinga, his longtime opponent now supported by the governing party, are competing to become president of the East African nation as it struggles with financial expense issues.

In this election, 22.1 million voters will decide the appointment of next president, parliamentarians, governors, MPs, female delegates, and around 1,500 county authorities. Previous elections were marred by conflict and have continued to cast a shadow over the nation.


People have been presented with various promises and allured to participate in the campaign rallies. They have been showered with groceries for the house, umbrellas and cash. Additionally, supporters have been offered a freebie bonanza. Insults and allegations have dominated the contest for votes, harming the reputation.

Ruto versus Odinga
After journeying around the large country in previous months, the major candidates will hold their concluding campaigns in Nairobi, the nation's capital. Ruto, 55, will address a campaign at the 60,000-seat Kasarani Stadium, while Odinga, 77, will address a crowd of 30,000 at Nyayo National Stadium.

As a result of the fiercely contested race, there have been rumors that Kenya may hold the very first presidential run-off. Many individuals are concerned that there may be violence if the results are contested.

When the two candidates first revealed their plans to appear at the Nyayo location on Saturday, there were worries that a showdown before the election would take place.

Ruto committed to create stable economy
Ruto, a successful businessman with a shady reputation, had been in line to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta but missed out when the latter, who is unable to run again, teamed up with former opponent Odinga in 2018.

Since then, Ruto has presented himself as the country's "hustler-in-chief," attacking the "dynasties" in power, specifically the Kenyatta and Odinga families, which produced the nation's first president and vice president.

According to the World Bank, he has committed to create a stable economy in a country where three out of 10 people survive on less than $1.90 a day.

Odinga's central topic of the campaign
While Ruto is entangled in a bribery scandal, Odinga has made the battle against bribery a central point of his campaign.

Since neither contender is a member of the dominant Kikuyu tribe, which has given birth to three of Kenya's four presidents, the election will usher in a new era in the nation's history.