Presidential candidate George Luchiri Wajackoyah’s popularity in the recent days is threatening Raila or Ruto’s first round win hence could lead to a run-off.
According to a poll released yesterday by Trends and Insights for Africa (Tifa), Wajackoyah’s roots party ticket has beaten Wiper party in popularity in Nairobi and is third after ODM and UDA.
The poll indicated that Raila Odinga has a popularity of 50 percent followed by Ruto with 25 percent and Wajackoyah with 7 percent.
Wajackoyah is being surveyed for the first time, and signs point to a continued increase in his popularity. If elections were held today, he would receive 175,000 votes based on his popularity in the city. If this is replicated countrywide, he will receive 1.5 million votes, which could easily prevent any of the front-runners from winning the first round.
Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot on Tuesday noted that it’s time Wajackoyah’s competitors pay more interest to him, noting that he could pull a surprise in August.
“If this Wajackoyah pushes hard enough and scores anywhere upwards of 500,000 votes he can easily force a runoff. He is making some funny promises to the youth, even the middle class. People are excited about promises of legalising weed but he has also promised something that is appealing to the middle class, that they will work for only four days a week,” said Cheruiyot.
Political commentator Mohamed Wehliye on the other hand says that Wajackoyah is eating into Kenya Kwanza numbers.
“Many Hustlers have now found a new home in Wajackoyah The Fifth (WTF). The local derby between UDA and WTF will be interesting one to watch,” wrote Wehliye.
Wajackoyah has concentrated on contentious issues that appeal to young people, like the legalization of marijuana and snake farming to boost the Kenyan economy and pay debts.
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