Nairobi: Raila Odinga, Kenya’s veteran opposition leader, rejected the results of the August 9 presidential election results which declared his main rival, the sitting Deputy President, William Ruto as the winner, and vowed to contest the outcome in court.
The 77-year-old Odinga who was running for presidency for the fifth time under the Azimio La Umoja (Resolution for Unity)-One Kenya Coalition said he had no faith in the outcomes of the hotly contested polls, reports Xinhua news agency.
Addressing a briefing here on Tuesday, he said that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) violated the constitution, and failed to adhere to the spirit of consensus when it declared Ruto the winner .
In particular, Odinga faulted IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati for making unilateral decisions regarding the announcement of the presidential election winner.
He added that Chebukati and a minority of commissioners went against the electoral laws and laid down procedures to declare Ruto the fifth president-elect.
“In our view, there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a President-Elect,” said Odinga, adding that his political formation will be pursuing constitutional and legal means to ensure the presidential election results are overturned.
The declaration of 55-year-old Ruto as the winner of Kenya’s presidential elections after garnering about 7.17 million or 50.49 per cent of legitimate votes cast was celebrated in his strongholds but triggered an outcry among Odinga’s supporters in western Kenya and Nairobi.
In his victory speech on Monday evening, Ruto had pledged to extend a hand of friendship to political rivals, unite the country and advance shared growth and prosperity.
Sporadic protests erupted on Monday night in the western city of Kisumu, Nairobi’s informal settlements of Kibera and Mathare that are considered Odinga strongholds though relative calm has returned, according to local media reports.
Odinga trailed second after Ruto in the presidential race that attracted four candidates by garnering about 6.94 million or 48.85 per cent of votes, according to IEBC tally.
Four out of seven electoral agency commissioners who have earlier rejected the presidential results insisted that the process was marred by opaqueness.
They told journalists that the results were inaccurate and a misrepresentation of the official tally.
The commissioners said the aggregation of presidential results for the four candidates was inflated by a figure they said could tilt the election outcomes.
They added that the Chairman of the electoral body failed to indicate the total number of registered voters, the total number of votes cast or rejected in violation of the law.
According to the commissioners, the Chairman violated the electoral laws when he announced the results when verification and tallying in some constituencies had not been completed.
