UDA, ODM named most preferred parties as Jubilee tumbles » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 19 – Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have maintained momentum as most preferred parties for the 2022 General Election at 30 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

A study released by TIFA on Friday indicated that UDA’s popularity had increased from 21 per cent in June when ODM’s preference was reported at 9 per cent.

The governing Jubilee Party’s preference plummeted from 40 per cent in June 2020, 34 per cent in December 2020 and 8 per cent in June 2021 to settle at 5 per cent in November, according the survey which saw 1,519 respondents interviewed.

The TIFA poll also noted that UDA’s popularity was greater than ODM and Jubilee combined amid reports that the two formations could formalize a political union ahead of the 2022 polls.

“A striking finding is the rise of the UDA party since its emergence as the preferred electoral vehicle for DP Ruto and those allied to him, first captured in TIFA’s June, 2021 survey and repeated in this current one, so that as of now it is nearly twice as popular as its closest rival   (ODM), and with official ruling party (Jubilee) now just a shadow of its former self in terms of popularity,” the pollster said.

Jubilee, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to hold a National Delegates Convention on November 30 when the party, formed in 2017 following a merger of Kenyatta’s The National Alliance, William Ruto’s United Republican Party and other affiliate outfits, is set to expel members who are deemed to have defected.

The study conducted between November 7 and 13 listed Amani National Congress, Wiper Party and FORD-Kenya parties at par, all scoring 1 per cent.

A staggering 40 per cent of the respondents did not however identify with any political party.