Nairobi, Kenya –
Kenya was quiet on Tuesday, a day after Vice President William Ruto was declared the winner of a narrow presidential election over opposition figure Raila Odinga, a closely watched vote in the East African country that has been crucial to the regional stability.
There were protests by Odinga supporters in some cities on Monday night after chaos over the declaration, as most electoral commissioners claimed the process was “opaque”. Those commissioners, appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year, did not elaborate on his sudden objection after an election seen as the most transparent in Kenya.
Odinga, 77, who has pursued the presidency for a quarter of a century, has yet to speak out or appear in public. His campaign has indicated that he could challenge the election result in court and has seven days after the declaration to do so. The Supreme Court would then have 14 days to pass judgment.
The president of the electoral commission said that Ruto won with almost 50.5% of the votes, while Odinga received almost 49%. On Tuesday, the local Election Observation Group announced that its highly respected parallel vote count “corroborates the official results” in an important check on the process.
“We have made great strides toward credible elections,” the group said. He called the split in the electoral commission “unfortunate,” but noted that the president is constitutionally tasked with announcing the results.
Odinga’s campaign had hoped for victory after the outgoing president, in a political shift, endorsed his former rival Odinga instead of his own vice president. In the minutes before the statement, shocked Kenyans watched screaming Odinga supporters, including newly elected members of Parliament, brawl with election commission officials before calm was restored by police.
Ruto, 55, appealed to Kenyans in making the choice over economic and non-ethnic differences that have long marked the country’s politics with sometimes deadly results. He portrayed himself as an outsider from humble beginnings who challenged the political dynasties of Kenyatta and Odinga, whose parents were Kenya’s first president and vice president.
Still, turnout in last Tuesday’s vote fell to 65% as the 56 million Kenyans across the country expressed frustration and lack of confidence that the candidates would address issues of rising prices, high unemployment and corruption. widespread. Ruto himself, now wealthy, has faced and denied multiple accusations of land grabbing and other bribery.
In the sleepy capital Nairobi on Tuesday, motorcyclist Distrious Mirimo saw some businesses remain closed. “Those who have closed are afraid but I urge them to open because nothing is happening,” he said. “The president has already been elected and we must accept the results.”
As a growing number of African leaders issued statements congratulating Ruto, Kenya’s outgoing president remained silent.
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This version corrects the population of Kenya to 56 million, not 65 million.