...Officials dispute outcome
William Ruto was yesterday declared the winner of Kenya’s presidential election by a razor-thin margin after seeing off a challenge from 5-time contender, Raila Odinga, whose campaign officials and supporters rejected the official results.
Ruto, 55, garnered 50.5% or 7.1 million of the valid votes cast on Aug. 9, and his main rival Odinga 48.9%, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said at a ceremony in the capital Nairobi, yesterday. The President-elect has pledged to rein in debt, spend 500 billion shillings ($4.1 billion) to support entrepreneurs and farmers, create jobs for millions of unemployed youths and give half the posts in his cabinet to women.
Chaos erupted shortly before the results announcement, as four of the nation’s seven electoral commissioners rejected the outcome. A short while later, gunshots rang out as Odinga supporters stormed the podium where the IEBC officials were gathered, and denounced the counting and verification process. Their rejection of Ruto’s victory portends ill for political stability in East Africa’s largest economy, where previous disputed votes were marred by violence.
The IEBC’s chairman, Wafula Chebukati, said he stood by the results despite being subjected to intimidation and harassment. “I’ve done my duty according to the constitution”, he said after the security forces restored order.
Odinga has yet to react to the results, although some of his campaign officials said they rejected the outcome. If he decides to challenge them, he has to petition the Supreme Court within seven days and it must consider his objections and make a final ruling on their validity within 14 days. Should the results be nullified, as they were in 2017, fresh elections must be held within 60 days of the ruling.
Ruto, who struck a conciliatory tone in a speech after being declared the winner, will be sworn in later this month if there is no court petition.
