Daadab MP Farah Maalim [Photo: Maalim-Twitter]
Daadab MP Farah Maalim says he has doubts over the report by Vanguard Africa which indicated that Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga garnered over 57 percent of the total votes cast, to defeat President William Ruto by 16 percent who attained 41 percent in last year’s 9th of August election.
Maalim says the margin between President Ruto and Raila Odinga according to Vanguard cannot be justified.
“I have my doubts about it because one thing you could tell me is that things were manipulated and Raila won but again that kind of a margin, 3 million votes, that puts a serious doubt on the authenticity of such claim,” he said.
“All indications in all the polls showed that this was going to be a very close election and I’m one person who is in Azimio because I believe in parties being institutions within themselves. I have mentioned it a number of times that I had my doubts whether Raila would have a chance against William Ruto in this election.”
Maalim however called on the Azimio team to shed more light on the claims.
“There could have been a serious claim but I doubt that kind of magnitude. But when you read the claims and you get someone who said they were an insider you begin again to want to hear more of it,” he said.
“There are a lot of things that need to be brought out into the open to at least make Kenyans understand what exactly are the issues that were brought up.”
The report by Vanguard Africa – a non profit organization noted that the 2022 general election results were marred with manipulations.
It said results from 171 constituencies cannot be verified with absolute certainty.
Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni who read the report to the press on 18th of January 2023, said that part of the it showed that Odinga garnered 8,170,355 votes ahead of Ruto who reportedly managed 5,919,973 votes.