Kenya: Kenyatta endorsed as presidential candidate

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s ruling Jubilee Party on Saturday formally endorsed Uhuru Kenyatta as its presidential flag bearer in the upcoming general elections in Kenya scheduled to take place on August 8 this year.

Uhuru Kenyatta is the current President of Kenya in office since 2013.

Numerous political parties under the ruling party endorsed Uhuru Kenyatta as the preferred presidential candidate with William Ruto, the current Kenyan Vice President as his deputy at a colorful event at the Bomas of Kenya village in Nairobi.

While speaking at the event Kenyatta pledged to continue working tirelessly to improve the lives of every Kenyan.

“I will work day and night to transform the country for the betterment of all Kenyans. By the end of five years we will be talking about Vision 2020 and not Vision 2030,” Kenyatta said vowing that together with his deputy they will conduct peaceful campaigns and elections this year.

The news comes just weeks after Kenya’s opposition the National Super Alliance (NASA) endorsed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) as its flag bearer.

Kenya has witnessed chaotic and violent election primaries in the past weeks and rights groups in the East African country have warned that if nothing changes Kenya might witness election violence on the scale of the one witnessed in 2007.

In 2007-08 Kenya election violence claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in Kenya. Dozens of men, women, and children were burned alive in a church and others were killed by machete-wielding gangs.