Citizen TV's Waihiga Mwaura Picked For Nairobi Gubernatorial Debate

Citizen TV prime time news anchor Waihiga Mwaura will moderate the 2022 Nairobi gubernatorial debates slated for Monday, July 11. 

In a statement to newsrooms on Monday, July 4, the Newsnight host will moderate panel discussions for the debates, termed so because they will be divided into two tiers. 

The first tier will feature candidates who have a popularity of below 5 per cent in three recent opinion polls and will be moderated by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s (KBC) Serfine Achieng’ Ouma and Ayub Abdikadir of K24.

The eight presidential aspirants Mohammed Dida, James Ole Kiyiapi, Uhuru Kenyatta, Peter Kenneth, Musalia Mudavadi, Martha Karua, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Paul Muite (L-R) face off in a presidential debate in Nairobi, February 11, 2013. /VOA NEWS

The second will feature candidates who have a popularity of above 5 per cent in three recent opinion polls. This is where the likes of Polycarp Igathe of Azimio coalition and United Democratic Alliance (UDA)'s Senator Johnson Sakaja fall. 

That section will be moderated by Zubeida Koome of KTN News and Mark Masai of NTV. 

"The first debate will run from 6.00 pm and end at 7.30 pm while the second debate will go on air at 8.00 pm and end at 9.30 pm," read the debate secretariat's statement in part. 

The gubernatorial debate will take place at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) main campus in Karen, Nairobi. This will be the same venue that will host the Deputy Presidential and Presidential debates. 

The Deputy Presidential debate will take place first on Tuesday, July 19 with the Presidential debate taking place on Tuesday, July 26, two weeks to the August 9 general elections. All of them will run from 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm. 

The moderators, the secretariat explained, were selected based on a rigorous criteria that, among other things, endear the principles of impartiality, fairness and objectivity, a strong understanding of the Kenyan political landscape and the major issues of the election, especially in Nairobi County. 

"Under the presidential debates rules, the moderators will select the questions to be asked and shall not share the same with the candidates. They will not meet with any of the campaign teams or candidates and the candidates," added the statement. 

However the secretariat did not disclose the names of the moderators for the Deputy Presidential and Presidential debates, with speculation already being rife regarding top names such as Yvonne Okwara of Citizen TV being among the favourite picks for the debates. 

Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga, UDA's William Ruto, Roots Party's George Wajackoyah and Agano's David Mwaure will square off in the Presidential debates, sharing visions for the country to Kenyans watching at home, live on TV. 

Ruto's team had claimed that they would skip the event after he accused the media of bias in coverage of the presidential candidates.

Deputy President William Ruto speaking during the unveiling of the Kenya Kwanza manifesto on June 30, 2022. /TWITTER 

Wajackoyah also noted that he would skip the debate if the top two do not show up, as he cannot debate Mwaure by himself. 

Kenyans will be hoping for a repeat of the fiery 2013 Presidential debate which brought President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila on the same podium as well as Mwalimu Abdouba Dida, who was among the main highlights of the debate on social media platforms.