Deputy President William Ruto has won Kenya’s presidential election, the country’s electoral commission chairman has said.
“There are no losers. The people of Kenya have won because we raised the political bar,” thecalm and joyful president-elect said after the announcement on Monday. “There is no looking back, we are looking to the future, we need all hands on deck to move forward.”
He narrowly beat his rival, Raila Odinga in a keenly contested elections in which vote counting lasted for days.
The announcement was delayed amid scuffles and allegations of vote-rigging by members of Mr Odinga’s campaign.
Four of the seven members of the electoral commission refused to endorse the announcement, calling the results “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 Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“We are going to 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.
Mr Odinga’s party agent earlier alleged that there were “irregularities” and “mismanagement” in the election.
Mr Ruto, 55, is a first-timer in the race for president.
He has served as deputy president for 10 years, but fell out with President Uhuru Kenyatta, who backed Mr Odinga to succeed him.
