Odinga had hoped to take a sizable chunk of votes in Kikuyu-dominated central Kenya being backed by Kenyatta the Mount Kenya business and political elites and his running mate Martha Karua who performed strongly on the campaign trail...

Odinga backed by incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and with key allies Kalonzo Musyoka and deputy presidential nominee Martha Karua's Azimio La Umoja alliance has the opinion poll lead and the establishment voice to support it...

The voting preferences of women will be more significant but perhaps counter-intuitively the choice of Karua as the first female Deputy Presidential candidate by Azimio in May has not resulted in a nationwide switch by woman voters to Raila/Karua as the majority remain pro-Ruto by a significant margin according to the local TIFA opinion polls (Dispatches 16/5/22 Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua make the cut as running mates)...

Much of the momentum behind the Odinga campaign has been coming from the aggressive performance of his running mate Martha Karua who has won over some of Ruto's support base in central Kenya...

The fierce arguments between Karua and Ruto's running mate Rigathi Gachagua saw both candidates try to establish their potential for leadership (AC Dispatches 15/5/22 Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua make the cut as running mates)...

They might also have looked at Kenya where Raila Odinga's astute choice of Martha Karua has given him a clear lead in the opinion polls over his rival Deputy President William Ruto...

Former oppositionist turned establishment candidate Orange Democratic Movement leader Odinga narrowly avoided losing some key supporters after he picked Martha Karua as his running mate...

Flanked by running mate Martha Karua and hundreds of his supporters and allies Odinga set out ambitious plans for his first 100 days in office...

Odinga's pick former Justice Minister Martha Karua carries more obvious appeal to undecided voters...

Odinga's choice of former justice minister Martha Karua in August's presidential election came as little surprise...

In response Ruto selected Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua who has acquired a reputation as a rabble rousing campaigner but faces corruption and money-laundering charges (Dispatches 16/5/22 Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua make the cut as running mates)...

Other potential Odinga running mates from Mount Kenya include National Rainbow Coalition Kenya leader Martha Karua – who has been endorsed by a section of Azimio women leaders – and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth...

That's why Peter Kenneth and Martha Karua along with a host of county governors from around Mount Kenya have been proposed as running mates...