NAIROBI —
Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday
upheld William Ruto’s victory in the August 9 presidential election, capping
weeks of uncertainty as weary citizens voiced relief over a peaceful conclusion
to the prolonged political process.
اضافة اعلان
“This is a unanimous decision. The petitions are
hereby dismissed, as a consequence we declare the first respondent (Ruto) as
president-elect,” Chief Justice Martha Koome said.
The verdict dealt a blow to challenger
Raila Odinga who had alleged fraud and filed a petition against the poll outcome, which saw
Deputy President Ruto scrape to victory by a margin of less than two percentage
points in a tightly fought race.
Although voting day passed off peacefully, observers
feared that the disputed outcome could fuel violence in a country with a
history of post-poll unrest.
Ruto struck a conciliatory note, promising to extend
“a hand of brotherhood” to his rivals, including Odinga, a veteran opposition
leader now backed by the ruling party.
“I extend a hand of brotherhood to all my
competitors and to all their supporters. We are not enemies, we are Kenyans,”
Ruto, 55, said in a speech following the verdict.
“Our election and judicial institutions have won.”
Ruto will be sworn in on September 13, becoming
Kenya’s fifth president since independence from Britain in 1963 and taking the
reins of a country beset by inflation, high unemployment and a crippling
drought.
As Ruto supporters celebrated, Odinga, 77, said he
respected the ruling but disagreed with its substance.
“We have always stood for the rule of law and the
constitution. In this regard, we respect the opinion of the court although we
vehemently disagree with their decision today,” he said in a statement.
Despite losing the presidential vote, Odinga’s
Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition boasts a narrow majority in the lower house
of parliament, with Ruto embarking on a charm offensive to secure the support
of a dozen independent MPs.
Since 2002, no presidential poll outcome in Kenya
has gone uncontested, with Odinga previously claiming to have been cheated of
victory in the 2007, 2013 and 2017 polls.
The 2017 poll saw dozens of protesters killed at the
hands of police.
Kenya’s worst electoral violence occurred after the
2007 vote, when more than 1,100 people died in politically motivated clashes
involving rival tribes.
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