Azimio La Umoja One Kenya is the most popular coalition, but Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has more following than Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), a poll commissioned by the Nation Media Group has found.
The poll by Infotrak shows that the Azimio coalition party has 42 percent popularity, while the Kenya Kwanza has 41 per cent popularity. At 38 per cent, UDA has trounced ODM, which has a rating of 34 percent.
Waning popularity
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party and Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper share a meagre rating of three per cent, a clear indication of the eroding popularity of the ruling party since the Deputy President and his allies walked out to create UDA.
The ratings for the two leading coalitions further confirm earlier projections by experts and previous polls that the August 9 presidential election is likely to be a dead heat between the leading presidential contenders, Mr Odinga and Dr Ruto.
Mr Odinga’s Azimio coalition enjoys a massive following in his Nyanza backyard (75 percent) and the Coastal region (52 percent) where the former prime minister has been holding a series of campaigns to firmly rally voters behind his presidential bid. In the North-eastern region and Western, it has 49 percent support.
ODM, which is the dominant party in Azimio, and its party leader have been receiving support from the coastal region in past elections. Part of the reasons is Mr Odinga’s continued articulation of issues dear to residents such as historical land injustices.
In Central Kenya, for instance, where DP Ruto has prominently campaigned for the past four years, his Kenya Kwanza coalition has a rating of 62 percent, while UDA has a rating of 58 percent.
In Rift Valley, the coalition has a rating of 55 percent. The ratings in Central Kenya are higher than that in the Rift Valley.
Excitement
Although founded in December 2020, UDA appears to stir excitement. The party is the most popular among the youth aged 18-35 with a rating of 40 percent, compared to ODM that has an average rating of 31 percent.
Its huge popularity can be attributed to factors such early campaign activities and appealing slogans such as the bottom-up economic model that promises to support small businesses. It is also interesting to note that the Deputy President is running as a presidential candidate using the UDA party ticket and not under the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Eastern
The popularity of the coalitions and political parties in Eastern are also a clear indication of the region being a battleground as indicated by previous polls. Mr Musyoka’s Wiper, one of the political parties in Azimio perceived to be strong in Ukambani, has a dismal rating of 14 percent compared to UDA’s rating of 37 percent.
ODM party is the second most popular party in the region with a rating of 22 percent. Kenya Kwanza coalition is also more popular in the Eastern region at 42 percent compared to Azimio’s 40 per cent. BY DAILY NATION