Kenya's presidential candidates

> Uhuru Kenyatta

Party: The National Alliance (TNA)
Alliance: Jubilee Alliance

Son of Kenya's founding father, Jomo Kenyatta, Uhuru Kenyatta ranks 26th on the Forbes list of Africa's 40 wealthiest people as the "heir to some of the largest land holdings in Kenya". Born in 1961, his name, Uhuru, means freedom. A member of the dominant Kikuyu tribe, Kenyatta graduated from Amherst College, USA. He lost his first presidential election bid in 2002 and was sworn in as deputy prime minister in 2008 following a disputed 2007 poll. He faces five charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the deadly violence following the 2007 poll.

> Raila Odinga

Party: Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
Alliance: Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD)

Born in 1945, Raila Odinga is the son of Kenya's first vice president, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and is known as the man who has spent his life seeking the Kenyan presidency. He came close in 2007 when he lost to incumbent President Mwai Kibaki in a disputed poll. Following the bloody post-electoral violence, he became prime minister in a power-sharing agreement. An ethnic Luo, Odinga presents himself as a candidate for change from the prevailing Kikuyu-Kalenjin political dominance. But as a seasoned politician, he has been on both sides of that establishment: he was jailed for his opposition to former president Daniel Arap Moi before joining Moi's government. A commanding figure, Odinga is popular with his Luo community, but has scared many with his fierce ambition.

> Martha Karua

Party: National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya (NARC)

Kenya's only female presidential candidate is a lawyer by profession and has served as justice minister before resigning citing frustrations in discharging her duties. She is currently an MP for Gichugu in central Kenya. Born in 1957, Karua is an ethnic Kikuyu, but she has never played the tribal card nor can she count on her tribal voting bloc, which is firmly behind Uhuru Kenyatta. A mother of two, Karua has run on a platform of economic and social reforms.

> Musalia Mudavadi

Party: United Democratic Forum (UDF)
Alliance: Amani coalition

A seasoned politician and deputy prime minister, Musalia Mudavadi threw Kenya's complex electoral math into disarray ahead of the March 4 poll when he quit Raila Odinga's CORD alliance, then briefly joined Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee alliance, only to quit and form his own Amani (peace) coalition. An ethnic Luhya, Kenya's second largest tribe, Mudavadi could play a kingmaker role in Kenyan politics.

> Peter Kenneth

Party: Kenya National Congress
Alliance: Eagle

A member of parliament and banker by profession, Peter Kenneth, 47, is relatively new to Kenyan politics, which works both for and against him. Although an ethnic Kikuyu, Kenneth is sometimes dismissed as "not Kikuyu enough" and sometimes even called a mzungu (foreigner) for starting his meetings on time, a rarity in Kenyan politics. Running on a platform of economic development, and remaining above the fray of tribal politics, Kenneth is portrayed as "the modern candidate" in Kenya's presidential race.

> James ole Kiyiapi

Party: Restore and Build Kenya Party

A former permanent secretary in multiple ministries, Kiyiapi is an academic and environmentalist by training. An ethnic Masai, Kiyiapi was born in 1961 and served as a permanent secretary in multiple ministries before resigning in 2012 to run for the presidency.

> Mohammed Abduba Dida

Party: Alliance for Real Change

A former teacher and ethnic Borana, a pastoralist ethnic group from northern Kenya, Mohammed Abduba Dida is considered a long-shot candidate. But during Kenya's first-ever televised presidential debate, his unwittingly amusing performance catapulted him into the national spotlight and won him some admirers. Those newfound admirers however are not likely to translate into votes.

> Paul Muite

Party: Safina

A former parliamentarian and human rights lawyer, Paul Muite is considered a long shot candidate. An ethnic Kikuyu, he is running on a platform of addressing unemployment and improving labour conditions in Kenya.