President Uhuru Kenyatta with Nasa presidential candidate, Raila Odinga. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]
Jubilee Party’s presidential candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, has welcomed the media’s plan to carry out a presidential debate.
Media Owners Association announced on Monday that the debate would take place on Monday, July 10 at 7:30 pm, and the second one on July 24, same time.
The debates for the running mates had been scheduled for July 17 at 7:30 pm at the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA).
However, in a letter signed by Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju, Uhuru says for him to participate, the organisers of the event must work with him to agree on dates and ground rules first.
“H.E. The President welcomes the efforts by the media houses to arrange a debate amongst the candidates to discuss openly why Kenyans should elect them. However, such debates must be organised, by taking input from the candidates and working with the campaign teams to agree on criteria, ground rules and the dates,” reads the letter dated May 10, 2017, in part.
Tuju said the media owners must consult the candidates before making any further announcement.
“To ensure balanced and transparent high-quality debates that Kenyans deserve, and which are devoid of any pollution of bias, rules and methods of engagement, including the dates, must be agreed by the candidates before making an announcement.”