Roots party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah has pulled out of the Presidential Debate slated for Tuesday, July 26.
In a statement to newsrooms, the candidate protested a move by the organisers of the event to pair candidates on the basis of popularity.
Wajackoyah breathes fire
The acclaimed lawyer, seeking to make his first stab at the presidency, further claimed that the outcome of the debate is predetermined.
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"Roots Party would like to state that our presidential candidate Prof Wajackoyah will not attend the presidential debate because we will not subject the incoming President to the joke of an already predetermined debate," Wajackoyah's Spokesperson Wilson Muirani alias Jaymo Ule Msee said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The media cannot decide the outcome of an election before the poll day. The notion that some candidates are trailing others or some leading others is baseless. We refuse to be counted as 'others' in this important democratic duty of seeking the presidency."
The Presidential Debate Secretariat had announced that the debate will proceed in two tiers.
Wajackoyah was paired with Agano party's David Mwaure in the first tier featuring candidates whose popularity ratings, based on recent opinion polls, stand below 5 per cent.
He recently threatened to skip the debate if he is not paired with the leading candidates, Raila Odinga of the Azimio One Kenya coalition and Kenya Kwanza's William Ruto.
"I am not attending the presidential debate unless I am paired with Ruto and Raila. I am more popular in Nairobi than any of these people. I will win this election without debate," the candidate said in TV interview.
The candidate, who continues to attract traction due to his promise to legalise marijuana, insists his recent complaints to the organisers of the event had not been addressed.
"We sent an official letter to the presidential debate team on 21st July and we are yet to receive official communication on how the concerns we raised were addressed," Wajackoyah added.
"We would like to however state that our candidate is available to share the same podium with all the four presidential candidates as we define our agenda to all Kenyans."
A recent national poll by Infotrak shows that Raila and Ruto are leading in popularity with 43 per cent and 37 per cent ratings respectively. Wajackoyah and Mwaure were ranked third and fourth with 4 per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively.
