Foreign
By Paul Ejime
THE Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission, IEBC, has declared William Ruto, deputy president of Kenya, as the winner of the August, 9, presidential polls.
Wafula Chebukati, the IEBC chair, who announced the poll results on Monday Augus, 15, said Ruto, 55, the outgoing deputy President, received 50.49% of the vote while his rival and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, 77, got 48.85%.
There was commotion at the venue of the announcement with four of IEBC’s seven members, including deputy Chair Juliana Cherera rejecting the results, citing the “opaque nature” of the vote talling process.
In his acceptance speech, Ruto promised to run an open and democratic government.
He said there were no losers, but the people of Kenya were the winners.
He also commended Odinga and pledged to build on the achievements of outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, his boss for 10 years, but who supported Odinga in the election.
It is almost certain that the result will be challenged at Kenya’s Supreme Court, which annulled the 2017 poll and ordered a rerun.
The IEBC said some 14 million Kenyans voted with voter turn-out at about 65% against 78% in 2017.
Like many other African countries, Kenya, with an estimated population of 56 million and regarded as East Africa’s regional powerhouse, faces myriad challenges including corruption, poor governance, foreign debt, high inflation and youth unemployment.
Below is the STATEMENT read by dissenting IEBC Commissioners:
“We are part of the commissioners in the IEBC. We have conducted the 2022 General Elections and we have ensured that we have improved the standards. And we have ensured that we have consistently communicated what is happening. We have partnered with all stakeholders and we say it for a fact that as the Commission, we have done a good job. But some things need to be put out there.
As you can see, the four of us, we are here, not at the Bomas of Kenya, where the result is going to be announced, because of the opaque nature of how this phase has been handled. We therefore cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced. However, we have an open door that people can go to court, and because of the same, we urge Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of the law is going to prevail.
A.I
Tags: Chair Juliana Cherera Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission President Uhuru Kenyatta William Ruto
