Roots Party candidate George Wajackoyah has vowed to boycott the upcoming presidential debate if he will not be given a chance to face the other three candidates.
Wajackoyah questioned the criteria used to arrive at the current formula where the first debate features candidates who have polled less than five percent in three recent opinion polls and the second with candidates who have polled above five percent in the same survey.
The root party leader accused the organizers of the debate of discrimination ahead of the much-anticipated presidential debate.
In an interview with a local television, Wajackoyah confirmed that indeed he will not participate if he will not be accorded a chance to face off with all the other candidates.
“If you go to Canada, UK, US, China, Singapore, all presidential candidates are put together for people to see their body language, how they answer questions, how they look at each other, how they check the temperatures and temper, but these guys come in and say this is how it should be, No, I will boycott it,” he said.
Having been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to contest the country’s Presidency, Wajackoyah says he had earned the right to be treated equally to Ruto and Raila.
“I will not participate unless there is Raila Odinga, William Samoei Ruto, Mwaure, and I on the same platform speaking before Kenyans, for Kenyans to make an informed choice,” he charged
Wajackoyah had been placed on tier two alongside Agano Party’s David Waihiga Mwaure.
However, according to Wajackoyah the organizers have no justification, neither is it in the Constitution nor in any law, that the debate should be held as presently scheduled.
“You cannot just come out with a suit from Havard, or Oxford or University of Nairobi, and because you are a journalist, and you know too much Kizungu, you come and tell a presidential candidate this is how we have arranged it, and these are the rules, hell no,” he said.
Despite the threats by the presidential hopeful, Wajackoyah expressed confidence that Kenyans will still vote for him whether he makes an appearance or not.
