Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has claimed that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, reopening debate over the closely contested poll more than four years after the vote. Speaking during a Jubilee Party National Executive Council meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Uhuru said he remained convinced that Odinga had secured victory in the election.
Uhuru said Jubilee and other political actors had done everything possible to support Odinga’s presidential bid under the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party. He questioned how the coalition could perform strongly in parliamentary and county-level contests yet fail to secure the presidency. According to Uhuru, Azimio had secured more Members of Parliament, senators and governors than its main political opponents, which he cited as a reason for questioning the presidential outcome.
The former President also said he knew how events surrounding the 2022 election unfolded and expressed concern about a repeat of what he described as those circumstances ahead of future elections.
What Happened in the 2022 Election?
The August 9, 2022 presidential election was contested by several candidates, with the main race between William Ruto and Raila Odinga. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared Ruto the winner after he secured 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 per cent of the vote. Odinga received 6,942,930 votes, equivalent to 48.85 per cent. Odinga and other petitioners challenged the results at the Supreme Court, raising several issues concerning the conduct, tallying and declaration of the presidential election.
On September 5, 2022, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the consolidated presidential election petitions and upheld Ruto’s election as President. The court found that the petitioners had not established grounds sufficient to invalidate the declared result.
Uhuru Questions the Election Outcome
In his latest remarks, Uhuru questioned the apparent difference between Azimio’s performance in other elective positions and its presidential result. He argued that the coalition had won significant numbers of parliamentary and gubernatorial seats, asking how it could have performed differently in the presidential contest. Uhuru’s comments amount to his personal assertion about the 2022 election outcome and do not alter the official result or the Supreme Court’s determination, which remains the judicial outcome of the election dispute.
Uhuru and Raila’s Political Partnership
Uhuru’s support for Odinga in 2022 followed the political partnership between the two leaders that emerged after their 2018 rapprochement. The former President had previously supported Odinga’s presidential bid, with Jubilee joining the Azimio coalition ahead of the 2022 General Election. Uhuru publicly backed Odinga as his preferred successor during the campaign. The two leaders had earlier worked together on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which sought constitutional changes addressing issues including governance, national unity and resource distribution.
Renewed Political Debate Ahead of 2027
Uhuru’s latest comments come as Kenya’s political parties and leaders increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election. His remarks are likely to revive discussions about the management of the 2022 Azimio campaign, the tallying process and the coalition’s performance at different levels of the election. However, the 2022 presidential result remains legally settled following the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision upholding Ruto’s election. Uhuru’s claim represents a political assertion about the result rather than a change to the official or judicial record.
