Editor's Review

Roots Party presidential candidate Prof. George Wajackoyah has pulled out of the presidential debate.

Roots Party Presidential candidate George Wajackoyah will not be attending the presidential debate scheduled for Thursday, July 26. 

In a press statement on Tuesday by the party’s spokesperson Wilson Muirani alias Jaymo Ule Msee, the party stated that it will not subject its candidate to an already pre-determined debate.

“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,” read part of the statement.

Wajackoyah was to debate with Agano Party’s David Mwaure in the first tier of the debate that will feature candidates that polled less than 5 percent in the last three consecutive polls.

Roots party stated that it had declined to be counted as ‘others’ adding that it had written to the presidential debate secretariat but had not received feedback.

“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,” Wajackoyah’s party stated.

{Rigathi Gachagua and Martha Karua during the deputy presidential debate.}

However, the party said that Wajackoyah is ready to share the same podium with all the four presidential candidates.

The move by the Roots Party presidential candidate comes after his Azimio counterpart, Raila Odinga, announced that he will not be attending the debate.

The presidential secretariat on Sunday, however, insisted that the debate will go on as planned at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Karen, Nairobi.

Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto confirmed that he will attend the debate with Agano’s Mwaure also expected to attend.