Supporters of William Ruto, declared the winner by the Chair of the Electoral Commission, celebrate the announcement of the results August 15, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. MOSA’AB ELSHAMY / AP
Kenyans had been waiting for the name of their future President for six days, but the announcement of the results did not remove all doubts. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced Monday, August 15, that outgoing Vice President William Ruto has won the election. According to IEBC President Wafula Chebukati, William Ruto garnered more than 7.17 million votes, or 50.49% of the vote, versus 6.94 million (48.85%) for Raila Odinga.
Mr Chebukati said he suffered “intimidation and harassment”. Minutes before her announcement, the vice-president of this independent body had warned that four of the seven members of the commission would oppose the forthcoming results “because of the opacity of the process”.
“People can go to court and for that reason we call on Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of law will prevail,” added Juliana Cherera as tensions mounted and in the center where the Commission (IEBC) is Results managed, scuffles broke out.
#Kenya The mess is total, people are fighting or being kicked out by riot police #Bomas… https://t.co/LLPvJKkTXs
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers Kenya Presidential Election: William Ruto, self-proclaimed “resourceful” candidate
“I will work with all political leaders in a ‘transparent, open and democratic’ country,” assured William Ruto in his speech after the results were announced.
At the same time, violence erupted in some popular areas of Nairobi, including Mathare and Kibera, two strongholds of Odinga, as soon as Ruto’s victory was announced. In Kisumu, another Odinga stronghold, police fired tear gas at protesters.
Supporters of Raila Odinga burn tires in the streets of Nairobi on August 15, 2022 and chant “No Peace Without Raila” after William Ruto’s victory in the presidential election was announced. BEN CURTIS/AP
High stakes choice
The electoral commission had been under pressure for six days. She was sharply criticized five years ago after the Supreme Court invalidated the presidential election – a first in Africa. On Friday, she acknowledged that collecting, counting and verifying the results took longer than expected and was slowed down by interference from political party supporters, she said.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers A high-risk presidential election in Kenya
Some 22.1 million voters were called to vote for outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s successor on August 9, along with their governors, parliamentarians and some 1,500 elected local officials. The high stakes election was very close.
At 55, despite his status as vice president, the ambitious William Ruto was a campaign challenger against Raila Odinga, 77, an opposition veteran now backed by power.
Several episodes of post-election violence
The election was largely peaceful. However, with a turnout of around 65% – compared to 78% in August 2017 – it was marked by a sharp rise in abstentions against a backdrop of disenchantment with the political class and the rising cost of living since the war in Ukraine.
On Sunday MM goes to churches in Nairobi, the capital of this very religious country. Ruto and Odinga both called for calm, despite the fever rising in their respective coalitions.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers In Kenya “No food, no elections!” “: Inflation and economic hardship at the heart of the presidential campaign
Kenya is a democratic anchor in a troubled East African region, but it has experienced several episodes of post-election violence, sometimes very deadly, particularly in 2007-2008 (more than 1,100 dead, hundreds of thousands displaced).
Since 2002, the results of all presidential elections have been contested there either on the street or in court.