Rais mstaafu Uhuru Kenyatta, kwa mara ya kwanza, ameibua shaka kuhusu uhalali wa ushindi wa Rais William Ruto katika Uchaguzi Mkuu wa 2022, akidai kuwa anaamini hayati Raila Odinga ndiye aliyeshinda.
“Mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura,” Uhuru amesema.
Kauli hii nzito ni muhimu kwa sababu Uhuru hakuwa mtazamaji wa uchaguzi huo wa 2022, lakini alikuwa Rais wa nchi na mmoja wa viongozi wakuu waliomuunga mkono Raila kupitia muungano wa vyama vya kisiasa Azimio Coalition.
IEBC ilimtangaza Ruto mshindi kwa kura 7,176,141 (50.49%), dhidi ya Raila aliyepata 6,942,930 (48.85%), na baada ya hapo Raila na wenzake waliwasilisha kesi katika Mahakama ya Upeo(Supreme Court)wakipinga matokeo hayo. Mahakama hata hivyo ilikataa maombi hayo na kuthibitisha uhalali wa ushindi wa Ruto.
Kwa hiyo, kauli ya Uhuru inafungua tena swali ambalo ni kubwa kuliko Ruto vs Raila:
Tunapozungumzia historia ya uchaguzi, tunapaswa kuamini rekodi rasmi pekee, au madai ya watu waliokuwa ndani ya mchakato yanapaswa kuchochea uchunguzi mwingine wa ushahidi?
Na kama Uhuru anasema “najua” Raila alishinda, swali linalofuata ni rahisi lakini zito: Anajua kutokana na nini?
Je, kuna ushahidi ambao haukuwasilishwa mahakamani?
Je, madai kama haya yanapaswa kuachwa kama maoni ya kisiasa, au kuwekwa mbele ya umma na kuchunguzwa kwa ushahidi?
Miaka minne baadaye, uchaguzi wa 2022 bado unaonekana kuwa na ukurasa ambao Wakenya hawajakubaliana namna ya kuufunga.
Ikumbukwe Kenya itaelekea tena kwenye uchaguzi mpya wa Urais Agosti 2027.
MORE ON WHAT UHURU SAID......
According to the former Head of State, he is certain that Mr Odinga won the 2022 polls, hinting at a scheme to bungle the outcome that secured President Ruto's win.
"Tulifanya kila kitu kumsaidia Baba awe Rais wa Jamhuri yetu ya Kenya. Na kura akapata, na mimi mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura. Tunajua vile mambo ilienda, na hatutaki iende hivyo tena," he said during a Jubilee Party National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Nairobi.
(We did everything to help him become President of Kenya, and to date I know he won that election. Those who want to know the truth know the truth.)
Mr Kenyatta argued that the late Odinga, under the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party, won a majority of elective seats in the National Assembly and the Senate, questioning how they still lost the presidency.
"How can you say you won yet we have most Members of Parliament, Senators, and Governors? How could you say we lost? We know how things went down," he said.
He censured his critics, warning them against dragging him into their political blame game, calling for decorum and restraint as political parties contest for the 2027 General Election.
"I am shocked to hear people saying that we did not help Baba, saying that Uhuru Kenyatta did not win. I was not the one at the ballot; I was just Raila's handyman," he noted.
"Using dirty politics will not take us anywhere; let nobody try to divide us. What does it help you? Share your manifesto."
Mr Kenyatta maintained that his belief in good governance has informed his support for Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang'i for the presidency in the 2027 polls.
"He is respectful, he is not corrupt, he loves Kenyans, he is a hard worker," he noted.
