Wajackoyah Blames Ruto For Viral Video Endorsing Raila

Roots party presidential candidate George Luchiri Wajackoyah has denied endorsing Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate, Raila Odinga with five days left to the August 9 general elections.

A video shared by NTV which has since gone viral captured Wajackoyah addressing supporters at a club in Kisumu on Tuesday, August 2 dressed in a durag.

He spoke highly of the former Prime Minister, recalling how he brought him out of his tribulations given that he had spent time in jail during his political career.

Wajackoyah termed Raila as a person he would look up to, and touted him as the reason he was alive and well to address the revellers who went wild with screams during his endorsement of Raila.

George Wajackoyah during a past campaign address. /PEOPLE DAILY

"Because of that, man (Raila). The man whose tears come out every day because of what happened to him in jail, including me.

"I am here to join liberators. And the person I look at, the person who makes me stand here is none other than Raila Odinga," Wajackoya said.

The following day, he denied endorsing the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya candidate, blaming Deputy President William Ruto's faction for creating what he termed as an altered video.

“I have seen the video. You know people are just mad. William Ruto’s people have created an image of me on Facebook saying I am supporting him. Some are saying I have endorsed Raila.

“Yes, I said those words, that I look up to Raila just like I what I said about Ruto in Eldoret. I was acknowledging what Raila has done in Nyanza, and what he has done for the people. What is wrong is that?” he told The Standard.

His spokesperson Wilson Muirani (Jaymo Ule Msee) subsequently released a statement, clarifying that he was only giving the other three presidential candidates “some level of respect", adding that the party is confident of Wajackoyah's victory in the August elections.

“We have not and will not endorse any other candidate. The notion that Prof Wajackoya has endorsed Raila Odinga is a hopeless imagination and wishful thinking that only exists in the minds of biased media.

“We understand the various political camps have panicked over their expectations vs reality in this election and therefore have resulted in all underhand means to create a notion of winning this election," Jaymo stated.

Wajackoyah has been emerging third best in recent opinion polls, only ahead of David Mwaure of the Agano party. Two of them released on Tuesday, that is, Infotrak and IPSOS Synovate placed him at 2 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively.

In the IPSOS poll, it was revealed that voters took issue with Wajackoyah's ambition to legalise marijuana in the country, despite him assuring that it would be for commercial purposes to boost Kenya's economy.

During his manifesto reveal on Thursday, June 30, he also promised to export hyena meat and hyena testicles to China if elected president, as another way of creating employment and creating more money for the country. 

"But we shall export dog meat to China, we shall export hyena meat to China. Because we don't need hyenas in our country, Chinese eat hyenas," he said amidst claps from the audience at the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre.

He further explained that hyena testicles fetch a huge market value, claiming that they can be utilised for medicinal properties.

"One thousand male hyenas have two thousand testicles and I hear hyena testicles are used as medicine in China.

"Therefore, testicles are much more valuable than ganja (weed), one testicle goes for around Ksh6 million. So we shall export Hyena meat, dog meat and also hyenas!" he added.

However, conservationists took fault with his sentiments that exposed the animals to poachers, with a section of Samburu County residents affirming that hyenas are among wild animals that attract visitors including researchers and tourists who promote tourism generating income and employment opportunities for the local communities.