Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has revived one of Kenya’s most contested political questions, saying he still believes the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election.
Speaking at a Jubilee Party officials’ meeting in Nairobi today Tuesday, Uhuru also rejected suggestions that he failed to do enough to support Odinga’s campaign.
Referring to Odinga as “Baba”, Uhuru said he and others had done everything they could to help him secure the presidency.
“Na kura akapata, na mimi mpaka wa leo najua ya kwamba yeye ndiye alishinda hiyo kura,” Uhuru said.
He added: “Tunajua vile mambo ilienda, na hatutaki iende hivyo tena.”
The comments come four years after the election and more than a year after Odinga’s death. They also reopen debate over the August 9, 2022 presidential contest, which pitted Odinga, running on the Azimio la Umoja ticket, against William Ruto.
The official results told a different story. The IEBC declared Ruto the winner with 7,176,141 votes, or 50.49 per cent, while Odinga received 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent.
Odinga challenged the result at the Supreme Court, alongside other petitioners. On September 5, 2022, the court unanimously dismissed the petitions and upheld Ruto’s election as valid.
Uhuru’s latest comments therefore represent his personal view of the election rather than a change to the legal outcome. The Supreme Court’s decision remains the final judicial determination of the 2022 presidential contest.
The former president also pushed back against criticism of his role in the campaign.
The question of how Azimio’s campaign was managed has remained a source of disagreement among officials who were involved.
Former Raila chief agent Saitabao Kanchory previously argued that changes to the campaign structure created problems, including around the organisation of agents and the wider campaign operation.
Another dispute has centred on money intended for election agents.
In January 2026, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed denied allegations that he mishandled funds meant to pay ODM agents during the election. He instead alleged that money released by Uhuru was handled by people close to the former president. Those claims were disputed and formed part of a public exchange between Junet and ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna.
Junet specifically alleged that Uhuru had released money meant for agents to his brother, Muhoho Kenyatta, who then appointed another individual to oversee the recruitment and payment of agents. These were allegations made by Junet and were not established by a court finding in the sources reviewed.
Odinga had previously rejected the idea that problems with campaign agents were responsible for his defeat.
In a statement issued shortly after the election, he argued that protecting the vote was primarily the responsibility of the IEBC and other institutions established under the Constitution.
The renewed discussion comes as Uhuru remains involved in opposition politics.
The former ruling Jubilee Party is part of the wider opposition realignment following Odinga’s death. The former Azimio coalition has also recently adopted the name Ukombozi Alliance as opposition parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election.
For Uhuru, however, the 2022 election remains unfinished business.
His latest remarks put his view on record once again: that despite the official result and the Supreme Court ruling, he believes Odinga was the rightful winner.
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