Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected challenges to the results of the presidential election and upheld Deputy President William Ruto’s electoral victory, reported The Africa News.
In a judgment summary read out on national television on Monday, the seven-judge bench dismissed all arguments in the petitions filed by Raila Odinga, who came second in the August 9 elections.
The court’s unanimous judgement affirmed Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declaration that Ruto won. As per the official results, Ruto, 55, won with 50.49% of the vote against his rival Raila Odinga’s 48.85%.
“This is a unanimous decision of the court,” Chief Justice Martha Koome said as she read out the ruling. “We declare the election of the first respondent as president-elect to be valid under Article 143 of the Constitution.”
The ruling said that the Supreme Court was satisfied that the IEBC carried out the verification, tallying and declaration of results in accordance with the constitution.
Chief Justice Koome said the court found no evidence of tampering of results via hacking. The court also dismissed claims of ballot stuffing, voter suppression and Koome said the court had been sent “on a wild goose chase” investigating some of the laundry list of grievances presented by Odinga and his legal team.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Ruto welcomed the confirmation of his win with tremendous humility at a press conference outside his residence. He pledged to serve the Kenyan people.
In a statement he posted to his Twitter shortly after the court announced the verdict, Odinga said his team said that they respect the top court’s opinion although they disagree with the decision.
Ruto succeeds President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has served his constitutionally mandated two five-year terms. He will be sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president on Tuesday, September 13.
