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 William Ruto, outgoing vice-president, had won the election. According to the president of the IEBC, Wafula Chebukati, William Ruto accumulated more than 7.17 million votes, or 50.49% of the votes, against 6.94 million (48.85%) for Raila Odinga.
A few minutes before, the vice-president of this independent body had warned that four of the seven members of the Commission rejected the results to come “because of the opaque nature of the process”.
“People can go to court and for this reason we call on Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of law will prevail”added Juliana Cherera, as tension mounted and scuffles broke out in the center where the Commission (IEBC) is managing the results.
#Kenya The mess is total, people fight or get kicked out by riot police #Bomas… https://t.co/LLPvJKkTXs
“I will work with all the leaders” policies, in a country “transparent, open and democratic”assured William Ruto in his speech after the announcement of the results.
Election with high stakes
The Electoral Commission had been under pressure for six days. It was strongly criticized five years ago, after the invalidation of the presidential election by the Supreme Court – a first in Africa. On Friday, she acknowledged that the collection, counting and verification of results took longer than expected, slowed down, she said, by interference from political party supporters.
Some 22.1 million voters were called to ballot on August 9 to appoint the successor to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as their governors, parliamentarians and some 1,500 local elected officials. The high-stakes election was shaping up to be very close.
At 55, the ambitious William Ruto, despite his status as vice-president, was a challenger during the electoral campaign, facing Raila Odinga, 77, a veteran of the opposition now supported by power.
Several phases of post-election violence
The ballot was largely peaceful. With a turnout of around 65% – compared to 78% in August 2017 – it was, however, marked by a sharp rise in abstention, against a backdrop of disillusionment with the political class and the soaring cost of living since then. the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
On Sunday, going to churches in Nairobi, the capital of this very religious country, MM. Ruto and Odinga both called for calm despite the feverishness that was rising within their respective coalitions.
Kenya is a democratic anchor in a troubled East African region, but it has experienced several phases of post-election violence, sometimes very deadly, notably in 2007-2008 (more than 1,100 dead, hundreds of thousands of moved).
The results of all the presidential elections have also been contested there since 2002, in the streets or in court.