Who is in the race to run Kenya?
Learn more about Kenya’s presidential candidates
Choose a candidate to view their bio
Raila Amollo Odinga
Azimio la Umoja Coalition
- Age: 77
- Nicknamed “Baba”
- Son of former vice-president
- Trained as an engineer in what was then East Germany
- Prime minister from 2008 to 2013 in the unity government created after post-election violence
- Formed alliance with ex-political enemy President Uhuru Kenyatta
- Four-time unsuccessful presidential candidate
- Championed multiparty democracy in the one-party era.
- Detained twice (1982-88 and 1989-91) as a political prisoner.
- Seen as a formidable campaigner able to draw large crowds.
- Achieve double-digit economic growth through investment in small business and manufacturing sector.
- Provide affordable quality healthcare for all.
- Disburse $50 (£42) a month to two million needy households.
William Samoei Ruto
Kenya Kwanza Alliance
- Age: 55
- Worked as a street trader as a teenager.
- Has a PhD in plant ecology from the University of Nairobi.
- Served as deputy president since 2013 but fell out with boss President Uhuru Kenyatta.
- One of Kenya’s biggest maize farmers.
- Charged by the International Criminal Court over post-election violence – charges later dropped.
- Portrays himself as champion of the downtrodden.
- Coined phrase “hustler nation”
- Owns huge parcels of land but the source of his wealth is a subject of speculation.
- Praised as an effective agriculture minister from 2008-2010.
- Seen as a powerful orator and robust media interviewee
- Give all Kenyans subsidised health insurance cover and a fee waiver for poor households.
- Allocate $420m annually to support small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Appoint a gender-balanced cabinet.
George Wajackoyah
Roots Party
- Age: 63
- Holds a masters in international development law from the UK’s University of Warwick.
- Says he has 17 university degrees
- Worked in police intelligence before he fled the country in 1990 to escape from torture
- Gained notoriety with eye-catching policies
- Lived on the streets of the capital as a child and was rescued by Hare Krishna worshippers
- Partner in a law firm he established in 2018
- Campaigns wearing a tracksuit, T-shirt and headscarf rather than a smart suit
- Legalise the farming and production of marijuana for industrial and medical use
- Switch to a four-day working week from Monday to Thursday
- Invest in snake farming to extract the venom which can be exported
David Mwaure Waihiga
Agano Party
- Age: 65
- Practised law for more than three decades
- Also an ordained reverend
- Previously ran for MP, senator and county governor – losing each time
- Founded Agano Party in 2006
- Says he brings a “breath of fresh air” to the top of politics
- First expressed an interest in running for president in 2013
- Set up an asset recovery agency under the presidency to recover stolen funds
- Slash income tax by half and get rid of it altogether for medics and police
- Give incentives to manufacturers and entrepreneurs to create jobs
