William Ruto wins Kenyan presidential election

In tense conditions, Kenya’s presidential election saw Deputy President William Ruto declared the victor.

According to the official findings, he won by just 0.5% of the vote over his rival, Raila Odinga.Due to arguments and claims of vote fraud by Mr. Odinga’s campaign, the declaration was delayed.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s results showed that he had won the election to become Kenya’s fifth president (IEBC).

The “opaque” vote count prior to the announcement, however, was rejected on Monday by four election commissioners, raising concerns about what will transpire next.

“There are no losers. The people of Kenya have won because we raised the political bar,” the president-elect said after the announcement. “There is no looking back, we are looking to the future, we need all hands on deck to move forward.”

In a close presidential contest with Raila Odinga, Ruto came out on top.

According to the IEBC chairperson, Ruto won by a slim margin, garnering slightly more than seven million votes to Odinga’s slightly less than seven million.

Odinga earned 48.85 percent of the vote versus Ruto’s 50.49 percent.

When the deputy head of the electoral commission and three other commissioners told journalists, they could not support the “opaque nature” of the final phase, chaos broke out just before the declaration.

“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced,” Juliana Cherera, the deputy chair, stated.

Police rushed into the declaration site amid shouting and shoving to establish calm.

Before the announcement was delivered, scuffles broke out in the tallying hall, and diplomats and international election officials were escorted out.

Cherera exhorted the parties to resolve any differences through the legal system.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com