Why hand over power? ODM presses Uhuru for answers over Raila’s 2022 election claim

ODM has challenged former President Uhuru Kenyatta to explain why his government handed over power to William Ruto if he now says he knew Raila Odinga had won the 2022 presidential election.

The question was raised by ODM leader Oburu Odinga on Thursday, two days after Uhuru publicly said he remained convinced that the late Raila Odinga had won the August 2022 election.

Oburu said the former president’s remarks had reopened a painful chapter for ODM and its supporters, but questioned what Kenyans were expected to do with the claim nearly four years after the disputed election.

“For ODM, this confirms what we believed and maintained at the time. However, after exhausting the constitutional avenues available to us, we chose to let the matter rest and move the country forward,” Oburu said.

He then turned the spotlight on Uhuru’s role in the transition that followed the election.

“We did so even as President Kenyatta and those around him looked the other way and handed the instruments of power over to William Ruto, whom the former President now says had lost the election,” he said.

Oburu asked why Uhuru’s administration proceeded with the constitutional transfer of power if the former president was convinced that Raila had secured enough votes to win.

“If he was convinced that Raila Odinga had won, why did his government facilitate the transfer of the instruments of power to a person he believed had not won?” Oburu asked.

Uhuru revives 2022 election debate

Uhuru made the remarks on Tuesday, September 22, during a Jubilee Party National Executive Committee meeting in Nairobi.

He said he still believed Raila had won the election, despite Ruto being declared the winner.

“Na kura akapata, na mimi mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura,” Uhuru said, meaning that Raila received the votes and that he still knew he had won.

Uhuru also questioned how the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition could have performed strongly in parliamentary and other elective races while losing the presidency.

His remarks marked a fresh public intervention by the former president on one of the most contested political questions from his final months in office.

What the official record says

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared Ruto the winner of the August 9, 2022 presidential election with 7,176,141 votes, or 50.49 per cent.

Raila finished with 6,942,930 votes, representing 48.85 per cent.

Raila and other petitioners challenged the result at the Supreme Court, alleging a range of irregularities and illegalities in the conduct and tallying of the election.

On September 5, 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions challenging the presidential result and upheld Ruto's election. The court's judgment addressed, among other issues, allegations concerning the tallying process, the technology used in transmitting results and whether the constitutional threshold for victory had been met.

That court decision remains the legal determination of the 2022 presidential election.

Uhuru’s latest statement does not alter that outcome. It instead reopens the political debate over what happened before, during and after the election.

ODM asks what comes next

Oburu said ODM had already exhausted the constitutional avenues available to challenge the result and had chosen to move on.

He questioned the value of revisiting the issue now, arguing that the timing could revive emotions around an election the country had already settled through the courts.

“What exactly does President Kenyatta expect the Kenyan people to do with this information today?” Oburu asked.

He said the remarks were particularly sensitive for ODM members and supporters who had backed Raila’s presidential bid.

The renewed dispute has also drawn reactions from leaders aligned with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance, who have defended the official election result and questioned Uhuru’s decision to revisit the matter years later.

The controversy comes as political parties reposition ahead of the 2027 General Election.

For ODM, the immediate issue is no longer a court challenge to the 2022 result. It is what Uhuru knew at the time, what informed the decision to proceed with the transfer of power, and why he has chosen to speak about it now.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.