Neither did it seem Odinga  even with his running mate Martha Karua  was able to win over the region in sufficient numbers...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	     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)...
	 
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	     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...
	 
    
    
    
			
        
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	     The hardening of Odinga's poll lead appears to be the result of his running mate  Martha Karua's strong performance on the campaign trail...
	 
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	     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)...
	 
    
    
    
			
        
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	    After criticising Kenyan politics as a 'rich boys' club'  former Justice Minister Martha Karua has been chosen by Raila Odinga as his running mate ahead of national elections on 9 August (AC Vol 63 No 9  Rivals struggle to balance their tickets)...
	 
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	     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...