Today, a total of 22,120,448 registered voters or a fraction of them who will take it upon themselves to exercise their civic duty of election leaders of their choice through the ballot are expected to define the destiny of this country for the next five years.
The four candidates seeking to succeed president Uhuru Kenyatta at State House following the lapse of his two term five-year tenure will have their fate sealed today same as those seeking to occupying the five other elective seats.
For the top seat, one candidate among the four; Raila Odinga of Azimio One Kenya Coalition, Deputy President William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza, George Wajackoyah of the Roots Party and David Mwaure of the Agano Party will be elected.
To be declared the winner, the candidate must garner over 50 per cent plus one of the total votes cast and a commanding lead in at least 25 percent of the votes in at least 24 of the 47 counties.
In an event there is no a clear winner in the first round, the constitution stipulates that a runoff is scheduled within 30 days.
Those to take part in the runoff will be the first and second candidates and the person who receives the most votes in the fresh election is declared elected as president.
However, if there is a clear winner in the first round and there is no petition challenging the presidential election results, the president-elect is sworn in on the fourteenth day after the date of the declaration of the results of the presidential election.
Raila Odinga- Azimio One Kenya Coalition candidate
Raila, aged 77 years was born in 1945 in Maseno.
He is Raila the son of independent Kenya’s first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
This will be his fifth stab at the presidency, having been on the ballot in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.
He has served in various capacities in both government and as leader of opposition.
The highest office he has ever held was the Office of the Prime Minister during the Grand Coalition government of the late president Mwai Kibaki.
Dr. William Samoie Arap Ruto.
He is the Deputy President of Kenya under the Uhuru administration.
Ruto is the Kenya Kwanza Coalition’s presidential candidate and leader of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Born in Surgoi, Uasin Gishu County in 1966.
After serving as Eldoret North MP from 1997, he has served as Uhuru Kenyatta’s deputy since 2013 to date. They won the election in 2013 and he became the first deputy president under the 2010 constitution.
Professor George Luchiri Wajackoyah
He is an accomplished lawyer as a former detective under the defunct spy agency, Special Branch before he went into exile in the United Kingdom following his involvement in the investigation of the murder of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Robert Ouko.
He has become famous over his radical proposals on legalisation of marijuana and harvesting of hyena testicles for sale, among other revolutionary ideas under his Roots Party.
He is aged 63 years and was born on October 24, 1959 in Matungu, Kakamega County in western Kenya.
David Mwaure Waihiga
Besides being the Agano Party leader, Mwaure is also a lawyer and a pastor.
Previously, he has vied as an MP, Senator and governor. He vied for the presidency in the 2013 General Election. He however quit the race and vied for Lamu governor.