Former Provincial Commissioner Hassan Haji has backed calls for an all inclusive Presidential debate set for Tuesday next week ahead of the August General Elections.
Haji said all the four candidates seeking statehouse control should face each other in a single tier debate as this would bring to an end narrative of two-horse race which causes violence amongst supporters of the two camps.
“The norm has always been to involve all aspirants because by pairing them without any plausible criteria is in itself tantamount to discrimination .Therefore it would only be fair if all the Presidential candidates are on one platform to sell their agenda to the electorate. This aspect of pairing them into two is not only balanced but also segregative to those who curtain raise the main debate.It should also be issue based and not sideshows so that as voters we get an opportunity to gauge who means well for us” affirmed Haji
Haji who is remembered for his aura of power and authority during his stint as Migori District Commisioner during the late President Moi emphasised on the need for the areas of engagement in the debate to prioritise interest of the ordinary citizens.
The Roots party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah has said he will only attend the debate if he will be debating with the Azimio and Kenya Kwanza presidential candidates.
Wajackoyah argued that the polls that were used as determinants, had the interests of a few individuals.
“Our decision is informed by the fact that the polls used as a determinant to pair the presidential candidates are not factual because they are conducted by pollsters with interests in some of the political parties participating in the presidential debate,” said the Roots Party in a statement on Friday.
Already Suna East Member of Parliament (MP) Junet Mohammed has noted that Azimio la Umoja Presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga will only attend the debate if the moderators agree to focus on vital issues such as Integrity, corruption, and governance.
“Raila will only be on the debate if the panel will address Integrity, corruption, and governance. If the discussion is based on other issues, then we will send Babu Owino to debate William Ruto,” he remarked
Deputy President William Ruto’s team on their part issued conditions to the organisers asking them to make public the time allocated for the candidates to ventilate on their plans for Kenyans.
“While we do not object to the questions being asked in the debates, we object to trivialising such engagements to the detriment of Kenyans,” noted Hussein Mohamed who is in charge of Ruto’s communications.
In a statement, Head of Presidential Debates Secretariat Clifford Machoka said that the questions will be selected by the moderators and that they shall not share the same with the candidates.
“We reiterate that under the Presidential Debate guidelines, the moderators will select the questions to be asked, and shall not share the same with the candidates, they will not meet with any of the campaign teams or the candidates.”
The Presidential debate will be held at the Catholic University for Eastern Africa (CUEA) from 5 pm to 10 pm.
