Kenyatta Pulls Out of Second Presidential Debate

ALLAFRICA.COM

Sabahi (Washington, DC) [20/02/13]

Photo: UNDP

Jubilee candidate Uhuru Kenyatta has opted out of the second TV presidential debate (file photo). 

[SOURCE: http://allafrica.com]

Jubilee presidential candidate Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta will not participate in the second presidential debate schedule for February 25th, according to a letter from his campaign that was leaked online Wednesday (February 20th).

The Jubilee campaign letter, which was addressed on Monday (February 18th), accused moderators of the February 11th debate of unfairness, citing "numerous acts of omission and commission" that affected the overall tenor of the debate, particularly their attention to charges Kenyatta faces at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"It is our observation that the moderators deliberately allowed the other candidates to escape public scrutiny over various national scandals that have characterised their political careers, a number of which are even more prominent [than] the ICC issue," the letter to the debate organising committee said.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), which supports Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga for president, accused Kenyatta on Wednesday of avoiding the controversial land issue, which is set to be a topic of the second debate.

Kenyatta's team, however, quickly responded saying Kenyatta's time was better spent on the campaign trail, "rather than participating in a skewed, shambolic and farcical second debate".