Chief Return Officer and Chairman of Kenya’s Electoral Boundary Board (IEBC), Wafra Chebukati, after six days of verification of the votes at the National Aggregation Center in Nairobi, said Dr. William Ruto was elected President-elect of the Republic of Kenya. declared to be
Root, 56, has been vice-president of the East African nation since 2013 after being elected president alongside his counterpart, President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kenyatta has since backed opposition official Laila Odinga in the 9 August presidential election. This came as a surprise to many Kenyans, as the two were fierce rivals, inheriting from their former father, who had also competed in Kenya’s early days after independence in 1963.
Mr. Ruto received 7,176,141 votes (50.49 percent) and Odinga’s 6,942,930 votes accounted for 48.85 percent of the total valid votes cast. He has two other candidates, George Wajakoya and David Major, who received 61,969 and 31,987 votes respectively.
Following allegations of manipulation by both IEBC election officials and United members of Root by members of the Ajimio Coalition in Odinga just before the results were announced at the National Tally Center based in Bomas, Kenya. Then, chaos broke out in the auditorium. Democratic Union (UDA).
The announcement was then postponed several times, and IEBC Chairman Chebukati came out to announce the results amid mounting tensions across the country.
But the tension was catalyzed by a gesture by four of the seven IEBC commissioners, led by Vice-President Juliana Cerrera, to walk out and deny the results. Four claimed there was no transparency in how the aggregation process was performed.
“Due to the uncertain nature of this final stage of the general election, we cannot own the results that will be announced,” Cherera said.
She added that there is an open avenue for those dissatisfied with the results to go to court over the anomalies noted in the results.
“For the same reason, we urge Kenyans to be at peace as the rule of law prevails,” she said.
But experts say the chairman is the only person empowered by law to declare the winner of an election, and a strike by four commissioners would only hurt the result, not nullify it.
Nairobi-based city attorney Steve O’Gora said: “The law does not require a quorum. Put another way, a strike by four commissioners stigmatizes but does not annul the result.”
Reading out the results of the final presidential election, the beleaguered chairman, Chebkati, said the voting process was not easy and he was harassed and threatened. “I am standing here despite the threats and harassment. I have sworn to serve this country and have done my duty in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the country,” he said.
Chebkaty also pointed out that his staff had been injured at the National Aggregation Center.
“Currently, two commissioners and the CEO are injured and are receiving treatment.
The IEBC chairman said Embakasi East Returnee, identified as Daniel Mushoka, went missing on Thursday while on duty at the East Africa Aviation School tallying center within the capital, Nairobi.
This is the second general election overseen by Chevkaty, who took office in January 2017, seven months before the 2017 general election. His six-year term expires in January next year.
In announcing the results of the 2022 presidential election, he said, “I have prepared for those after me what the Constitution envisages: an independent commission.”
After the official results were announced, Ruto received a message congratulating him on winning the election.
Several African heads of state came out to congratulate Ruto. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was the first to send a congratulatory telegram.
“William Ruto, I congratulate you on your election as President of the Republic of Kenya. I look forward to
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said a prosperous Kenya is important to a peaceful continent.
“My heartfelt congratulations to the President-elect of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto. A prosperous and united Kenya is an important prerequisite and contributor to a prosperous and peaceful continent. We look forward to working with you on your behalf,” said Ramaphosa.
Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari said he wished the next president a successful inauguration and tenure, and congratulated him.
“I would like to congratulate Kenya’s President-Elect William Ruto on his election in the 9 August 2022 general election. I wish you every success,” Buhari said.
In 2017, Kenya’s Supreme Court under Chief Justice David Malaga annulled the president’s results, leading to a re-election that would see outgoing Kenyatta and his vice-president Root win the election again.
According to Kenya’s constitution, if Odinga is interested in challenging the election results, the Supreme Court will give a 14-day hearing and a verdict, and either revoke the oath of office of the next president or give the go-ahead. office.
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