NASA coalition flag bearer Raila Odinga displays his party nomination certificate after he was endorsed as the ODM presidential candidate during the National Delegates Conference at Kasarani on May 5, 2017. [Photo: the-star.co.ke]A new opinion poll showing Raila Odinga had finally overtaken President Uhuru Kenyatta just 20 days to the elections was given a wide berth by the mainstream media.This is despite the best efforts of Nasa to publicise what it considered a significant breakthrough.However, veteran journalist and columnist Macharia Gaitho has revealed why the mainstream media, save for the Star, decided to ignore the Nasa's poll.Gaitho, in an opinion piece published in the Sunday Nation, says that the problem was that the survey was paid for by Odinga’s campaign and, therefore, its objectivity questionable.He also noted that it was not the first time the mainstream media was ignoring such a poll saying that early last month, the media also ignored a poll from an outfit calling itself the African Electoral Observers Group showing President Kenyatta winning with 51 per cent of the vote over Odinga’s 39 per cent."In the first place, the numbers were in marked contrast to other recent polls that all show Mr Odinga significantly closing the gap on President Kenyatta, but still falling short by between five and seven percentage points.The numbers have all indicated President Kenyatta just short of the 50 per cent-plus one needed to avoid a run-off." wrote Gaitho.Gaitho, however, notes that NASA's poll numbers 'were still intriguing, especially because celebrated American pollster John Zogby comes with an international brand reputation to protect.'"The dilemma came of how to handle an 'internal' poll commissioned by an interested party keen for publicity. The first instinct was to downplay or trash it. However, it is good to note John Zogby runs a major operation very different from the myriad briefcase pollsters that crop up every election season in Kenya," he added.

Do you have a lead on a newsworthy story? Share news tips with us here at Hivisasa!