Campaigning in Kenya has intensified again after the pause imposed by the funeral of former President Mwai Kibaki.
The vice-president William Ruto and the former prime minister Raila Odinga have returned to organize election rallies in the two counties considered potentially critical for the balance of the vote, those of Nyanza and Mount Kenya, conducting meetings in villages and towns with the intent to increase support for their candidacies.
William Ruto and Raila Odinga, the two main candidates for the August 9 elections, are still engaged in the selection of their respective vice-presidential candidates, who must be announced by May 16. Both have announced that they have narrowed down the pool of possible candidates to five names, although without releasing any previews.
Disagreements within both camps appear to be still present and intense, and neither candidate seems to want to fuel public controversy at this difficult stage of the campaign.
Numerous disagreements between the major parties’ leaders became clear during the recent party primary elections, and the presidential candidates see these disagreements as potentially lethal to their interests during the final phase of the campaign.
