Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has announced that he will run for presidency in the 2022 General Election.

Odinga, 76, made the announcement at Kasarani Stadium on Friday, December 10, after several months of speculation about his candidature in the upcoming polls. 

“I ask for nothing, and I will never ask for anything, except the opportunity to serve,” he said during his speech at Kasarani Stadium.

The former prime minister said he will prioritise, among others, unity agenda, teachers' welfare, national healthcare, employment and economic recovery.

“Peace-making is not a self-enriching enterprise, it is a blessing from God," he said.

This marks the fifth time the ODM chief is taking a stab at the presidency after four previous failed bids in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.

Odinga’s wife Ida, during her speech at Kasarani Stadium, said she had “surrendered” her husband to Kenyans. 

The 76-year-old Odinga will face off against Deputy President William Ruto, who has promised to place small and middle income earners at the centre of his government operations, should he win the State House race.

This will be the first time Ruto, a former Eldoret North MP, will be throwing his hat into the ring.

The deputy president, 54, has exuded confidence that he will trounce Odinga in the presidential contest “by 10am in the morning”.

Ruto, in past campaign trails, said at least seven people – Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, Musalia Mudavadi, Gideon Moi, Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetangula and Cyrus Jirongo – had plotted to gang up against him in 2022, but he was confident that “the people’s blessings are with me”.

Ruto is hoping to ride on his bottom-up economic model to endear himself to the electorate.

Raila Odinga, in previous elections (1997, 2007 and 2017), lost to incumbents. In 2013, he lost to Uhuru Kenyatta, who is believed to have been the outgoing government’s preferred presidential candidate. 

Previously described as an “aggressive, confrontational, adversarial and rabble-rousing” politician, Odinga has morphed into a more collaborative leader, attracting the favour of wealthy Mt. Kenya businessmen, who feared his former combative demeanour would pose a challenge to the existence of their businesses and investments.

“The mountain has to be bumpy for you to scale it. On this, I am happy to note that I have reached very close to the peak. The people [of Mt. Kenya] have promised that we shall walk together to the promised land if I prove that I understand, and shall address their concerns,” Odinga said on Friday.

Odinga also enjoys support from President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said in a public rally that age occasions wisdom.

“I must pay homage to President Uhuru Kenyatta for the foresight and sense of patriotism in initiating the dialogue that led to the [March 9, 2018] handshake. It takes a seasoned statesman to shake the hand of his rival, I thank him,” Odinga said in his speech at the Azimio la Umoja Convention.

Odinga will be 77 years old next year, when he’ll be taking a fifth stab at the presidency.  By Brian Okoth, The Standard

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks at a past function. Photo CFP

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Dar es Salaam on Thursday to begin a two-day official visit of Tanzania, which he started by joining President Samia Suluhu and other Tanzanians in commemorating the country's 60th Independence Day.

This is the first time President Suluhu is leading her country's Independence Day celebrations since she took office in March following the death of former President John Pombe Magufuli.

During his stay in Tanzania, Kenyatta is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his host on various issues, culminating in the signing of a raft of agreements.

The Kenyan president has been accompanied in the trip by various ministers; Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), Betty Maina (Trade and Industry), James Macharia (Transport), Joe Mucheru (Communications) and Adan Mohamed (East African Affairs).

This is the second time in seven months that Kenyatta and Suluhu have met, having also met in Nairobi in May.

During that visit, the two leaders sought to thaw tensions that had been brewing under President Magufuli, following disagreements on travel restrictions between the two countries.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame also joined Kenyatta and Suluhu for Thursday's Independence Day celebration. - CGTN

NAIROBI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focusing on the private sector in developing countries, and the AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund), an Africa-based development organization, on Wednesday launched the second round of a global competition to increase economic integration and self-reliance among refugees in Kenya.

The competition for the private sector and social enterprise projects will support investment, development, and job creation in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp and hosting area.

"Through this new competition, we hope to attract more businesses, especially those involved in underrepresented sectors like small manufacturing, aquaculture, retail services, and construction," CEO Victoria Sabula of the AECF said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

The competition, which runs until Jan. 31, 2022, is open to private sector businesses or social enterprises operating in any sector.

Winners will be chosen based on their bids' potential to raise incomes, provide goods and services, create jobs, and improve living standards in both the Kakuma refugee camp and the adjacent host community, home to more than 240,000 people, including 220,000 refugees.

According to IFC, winning entrants will be awarded technical support and performance-based grants of between 100,000 U.S. dollars and 750,000 U.S. dollars.

The competition is part of the Kakuma Kalobeyei Challenge Fund (KKCF), a joint initiative of IFC and the AECF, whose aim is to increase economic integration and self-reliance among displaced populations and their host communities.

Jumoke Jagun-Dokunmu, IFC regional director for Eastern Africa, said the IFC is committed to uplifting the lives of refugees and those living in host communities by championing private sector solutions.

The competition is being implemented with support from Kenya's Turkana County Government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). It follows the first round of the competition in December 2020 that awarded more than 5 million dollars in grant funding to 13 social and private sector applicants in sectors including renewable energy, financial services, health care, and childcare.

The KKCF initiative is a 25-million-dollar, five-year program designed to support private sector investment and unlock the economic potential of refugees and those living in the surrounding host communities in Kenya's Turkana County. - Xinhua