The Presidential Debate Secretariat has announced a schedule for the debates for candidates seeking the presidency in the August 9 polls.

In a statement to newsrooms on Monday, July 4, 2022, Cliff Machoka, the Head of the Secretariat, said the presidential debate will be held on Tuesday, July 26.

Candidates to participate in Presidential Debate

All the four candidates eyeing the presidency in the August polls have been invited for the debate. They are William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza Alliance, Raila Odinga of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya, George Wajackoyah of Roots Party and David Mwaure of Agano Party.

The presidential running mates' debate will be conducted a week earlier, on July 19.

Machoka further announced that in addition to the traditional presidential and deputy presidential debates, the Secretariat will also have a Gubernatorial Debate for the County of Nairobi this year.

"This is in recognition of the central place held by devolution in our governance and the growing need to ensure greater accountability at the county level," Machoka said.

"We are encouraged by the overwhelming interest shown by members of the public, so far, in the debates initiative. We are gratified that Kenyans have embraced the debates as a key avenue for catalysing issue-based elections and facilitating informed electoral choices."

The gubernatorial debate will be held on Monday, July 11.

All the debates will be held at the Catholic University for Eastern Africa (CUEA) main campus situated in Karen, Nairobi, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. 

The Nairobi Gubernatorial Debate, Machoka said, will proceed in two tiers. The first tier will feature gubernatorial candidates whose popularity ratings, based on three recent opinion polls, stand below 5 per cent, while the second tier will involve candidates who have polled above 5 per cent in the same opinion surveys.

"The first debate will run from 6:00 pm and end at 7.30 pm while the second debate will go on air at 8:00 pm and end at 9.30 pm," he added

The first-tier debate for the Nairobi governor hopefuls will be moderated by Serfine Achieng' Ouma of KBC and Ayub Abdikadir of K24.

The second-tier debate involving candidates, who have polled above 5 per cent in three recent opinion polls, will be moderated by Zubeida Koome of KTN News and Mark Masai of NTV.

"Panel discussions for both debates will be moderated by Waihiga Mwaura of Citizen TV," Machoka said.

He added: "The moderators have been selected based on rigorous criteria that, among other things, endear the principles of impartiality, fairness and objectivity, a strong understanding of the Kenyan political landscape and the major issues of this election, particularly in Nairobi County."

Under the rules of the presidential debates, the moderators will select the questions to be asked, and shall not share the same with the candidates.

Further, the moderators have been prohibited from meeting with any of the campaign teams or candidates and the participants in this case candidates.

The Secretariat is a joint organ comprising representatives from the Media Owners Association, the Media Council of Kenya and the Kenya Editors' Guild.

It has been organizing debates on elections in the country since 2013. By Wycliffe Nyamasege, K24 Digital