Former President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks during the Jubilee Party meeting on September 22, 2026. / SCREENGRABFormer President Uhuru Kenyatta has said he still believes the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, despite the Supreme Court upholding William Ruto’s victory.
Speaking during a Jubilee Party officials’ meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, Uhuru also pushed back against claims that he did not do enough to support Odinga’s presidential bid.
Referring to Odinga as “Baba”, Uhuru said he and others had done everything possible to help him win the presidency.
“Na kura akapata, na mimi mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura,” Uhuru said.
He added that they knew how events unfolded after the election and did not want a repeat.
“Tunajua vile mambo ilienda, na hatutaki iende hivyo tena,” he said.
The remarks reopen debate over the August 9, 2022 election, which Odinga contested on the Azimio la Umoja ticket against President William Ruto.
On September 5, 2022, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed petitions challenging Ruto’s victory and declared his election valid.
Ruto had been declared the winner by then IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati with 50.49 per cent of the vote against Odinga’s 48.85 per cent.
Uhuru’s latest comments come months after former Azimio officials and politicians traded blame over the coalition’s defeat.
The debate focused on the management of the campaign, including the recruitment and payment of election agents and the coordination of the campaign structure.
Former Raila chief agent Saitabao Kanchory previously blamed the dismantling of the campaign structures for some of the problems experienced during the election.
“We went wrong the minute we dismantled the structures we had; the campaign board was supposed to run everything, but some individuals who wanted to have their agenda individualised it,” Kanchory said in an interview with NTV.
Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni also blamed the IEBC, alleging that the commission mishandled the tallying process.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, meanwhile, defended Suna East MP Junet Mohamed against allegations that he mishandled funds meant to pay Azimio agents.
Owino instead questioned Uhuru’s role in the election and his falling out with Ruto, who had been his deputy before the two fell out politically.
“Mimi story ya Uhuru when it comes to this election, sitaki hata kusikia. Let him have his relationship with Baba (Raila),” Babu said.
In January 2026, Junet rejected claims that he mishandled funds meant for ODM election agents during the 2022 General Election.
The claims had resurfaced after comments by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Junet challenged Sifuna to explain why some party agents were allegedly absent from polling stations or had not been paid.
He instead claimed that the problem stemmed from decisions made by individuals close to Uhuru.
“The answer is simple, clear and verifiable: Former President Uhuru Kenyatta released the funds meant for election agents to his brother,” Junet claimed.
He further alleged that another person had been appointed to oversee the recruitment and payment of agents and had presented himself as an information technology expert capable of detecting and preventing manipulation of election results.
“He presented himself as an IT expert, claiming he had the capacity to detect and prevent any manipulation of results by the IEBC,” Junet claimed.
Junet also alleged that the management of the agents’ funds was conducted from a restricted office in Nairobi’s Westlands area, which he said was inaccessible to most party officials, including Odinga.
Odinga had addressed the issue shortly after the election, rejecting claims that problems surrounding the recruitment and management of agents were responsible for his loss.
In a September 11, 2022, statement, Odinga said protecting the vote and ensuring a free and fair election was the responsibility of the IEBC and other relevant institutions, rather than individual candidates.
“We must appreciate that it's not the responsibility of candidates to protect the vote or conduct a free and fair election. That constitutional duty lies with the IEBC and other relevant institutions,” he said.
Odinga also defended Junet against claims that he had misappropriated funds meant for agents.
“Let me state without equivocation that Junet was a campaign lead in the team to support Raila. He at no time, even once handled funds meant for agents, nor did he have anything to do with the management of funds,” Odinga said.
The renewed debate comes as Uhuru remains active in opposition politics, with Azimio la Umoja having recently rebranded as The Ukombozi Alliance ahead of the 2027 General Election.
