Kenya’s presidential candidate and leader of Azimio La Umoja coalition party Raila Odinga on Tuesday rejected the results announced by the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“The figures announced by Mr.Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law,” said Raila Odinga while addressing the press on Tuesday.
Kenya’s Electoral Commission (IEBC) announced earlier this week that the Deputy President William Ruto won the presidential elections garnering 50.49% while his rival Raila Odinga got 48.8%.
“Ruto William Samoei has been duly elected as the president of the Republic of Kenya under provisions of the article 138 of the constitution in the presidential election” declared Wafula Chebukati IEBC chairperson earlier on Monday.
“I want to promise that I will work with all elected leaders and all leaders in Kenya so that we can fashion our country that leaves no body behind,” said the president-elect William Ruto.
However, the exercise has been marred by uncertainty after four out of seven IEBC electoral commissioners announced that they did not recognize the results of the presidential election, noting that the process lacked transparency in the final stages.
“ We are not where the result is going to be announced because of the opaque nature of how this face has been handled. We therefore cannot take ownership of the results,” said Juliana Cherera IEBC Vice Chairperson during a press conference held at Serana hotel in Nairobi prior to the official announcement.
According to the constitution, the president-elect must be sworn in on the first Tuesday, which falls two weeks after it is officially announced if no petition challenging the results is submitted to the Supreme Court.
Ruto’s rival Raila Odinga has now contested five times for the country’s top office, Raila Odinga said that his camp will be seeking for the Supreme Court to quash the results of the presidential elections announced by the IEBC.