William Ruto, Kenya’s Deputy President, has been declared the winner of the country’s close-fought presidential election, despite several commissioners rejecting the results.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati said on Monday Ruto had won almost 7.18 million votes (50.49 per cent) against 6.94 million (48.85 per cent) for his rival Raila Odinga in the August 9 vote.
According to a BBC report, Ruto narrowly beat his rival, Raila Odinga, taking 50.4 per cent of the vote.
The announcement was delayed amid scuffles and allegations of vote-rigging by Odinga’s campaign.
Four of the seven electoral commission members refused to endorse the announcement, saying the results were “opaque”.
“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced because of the opaque nature of this last phase of the general election,” said Juliana Cherera, the vice-chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“We will give a comprehensive statement… and again, we urge Kenyans to keep calm. There is an open door that people can go to court and the rule of law will prevail,” she said.