Kibaki Leads Uhuru In Poll

Dec 10, 2002

<b>NAIROBI, Tuesday</b> - An opinion poll released on Monday shows Kenya’s main opposition presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki, now hospitalised in London following a car crash in Nairobi, winning a landmark election later this month.

NAIROBI, Tuesday - An opinion poll released on Monday shows Kenya’s main opposition presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki, now hospitalised in London following a car crash in Nairobi, winning a landmark election later this month.

The poll, commissioned by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and carried out by Kenya’s Strategic Public Relations and Research, predicts Kibaki will win 68.2% of the December 27 presidential election and Uhuru Kenyatta of the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) trailing with 21.4.

KANU has been in power since independence from Britain in 1963 and since 1978 has been led by outgoing President Daniel arap Moi, whom the constitution bars from running in the election.

Kibaki is the candidate for National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), an alliance of more than 15 opposition parties.

Simeon Nyachae, the candidate for the opposition Forum for of the Restoration of Democracy-People (FORD-People), is set to win 8.2% and James Orengo of the Social Democratic Party 1.5%, the poll said.

The poll shows NARC’s candidates in parliamentary elections, also scheduled for December 27, winning nearly 66% of the 210 seats in the assembly.

Some 3,000 registered voters in eight Kenyan provinces were interviewed for the poll.
“The margin of error associated with a sample size of this type is plus or minus 1.79 percent with a 95 percent confidence level,” IRI said.

Kenya’s upcoming elections are regarded as the most important since the country’s independence from Britain in 1963 because President Moi steps down after 24 years in power.
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