Millions of Kenyan citizens on Tuesday morning cast their ballots at about 46,229 polling stations across the country to elect their fifth president as well as members of the National Assembly, senators, and county governors.
William Ruto, Kenya's sitting deputy president and a presidential candidate under the Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) Alliance, cast his ballot at 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) at a primary school located in his ancestral Sugoi village in the northwestern county of Uasin Gishu.
Soon after casting his ballot, Ruto said he will respect the election outcomes, after months of heated campaigns.
Ruto is running for the presidency with three other candidates including his closest rival, Raila Odinga, a veteran opposition leader who is running for the presidency under the Azimio La Umoja (Resolution for Unity) One Kenya Coalition.
Odinga cast his ballot at a primary school in the Kibra slums, the largest informal settlement in Nairobi.
Other candidates for the presidency include George Wajackoya, a legal scholar who is running under the Roots Party and David Mwaure Waihiga, a seasoned political activist representing the Agano party.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service