interrogating pledges

Kenya: Top 7 election issues facing Raila and Ruto

By Jeff Otieno

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Posted on May 16, 2022 16:25

Raila Odinga and William Ruto (Reuters and TAR)
Raila Odinga and William Ruto (Reuters and TAR)

As Kenya’s election date draws closer, the two leading presidential candidates, William Ruto and Raila Odinga, are promising Kenyans the world. Even so, from a weakened economy to affordable healthcare, can either one of the top candidates realistically follow through on their electoral pledges?  We look at the top seven issues facing the two men.

1.     Economic growth

When the government recently released a report showing the economy had recorded its highest growth in 11 years, many Kenyans were baffled.

The ‘Economic Survey 2022’, launched earlier this month, stated that the economy bounced back from recession in 2020 to grow by 7.5% last year – the highest since 2010.

“They say the economy grew, yet I have not felt it in my pocket. My purchasing power has been declining since the Covid-19 outbreak,” says Joseph Ochieng, a mechanic in Nairobi’s Embakasi estate.

The high cost of living, driven by skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, has plunged many Kenyans into poverty, leaving them feeling hopeless and frustrated by their political leaders.

It’s a problem dominating this year’s campaigns even as Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga promise a double-digit economic growth if elected

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