Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga (C) addresses the media in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 16, 2022. (Photo by Fred Mutune/Xinhua)
Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday rejected the presidential election results that conferred victory on his rival, sitting Deputy President William Ruto, and vowed to pursue constitutional and legal means to ensure the presidential election results are overturned.
NAIROBI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday rejected the presidential election results announced by the chairman of the electoral body Monday where his main competitor in the race, sitting Deputy President William Ruto, was declared the winner.
Odinga, who at 77 was running for the 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 held on Aug. 9.
He said at a briefing in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi 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 of the presidential race.
Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga (R) addresses the media in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 16, 2022. (Photo by Joy Nabukewa/Xinhua)
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 percent of legitimate votes cast was celebrated in his strongholds but triggered an outcry among Odinga's supporters in western Kenya and Nairobi.
William Ruto (Front) speaks after receiving a certificate to confirm his victory in the presidential election at a tallying center in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 15, 2022. (Photo by Joy Nabukewa/Xinhua)
Ruto, who spoke soon after receiving a certificate Monday evening to confirm his victory, pledged to extend a hand of friendship to political rivals, unite the country and advance shared growth and prosperity.
Sporadic protests erupted Monday night in the western Kenyan city of Kisumu, Nairobi's informal settlements of Kibera and Mathare that are considered Odinga's 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 percent of votes, according to the IEBC tally.
Four out of seven electoral agency commissioners, who had earlier disowned presidential results announced by Chairman Wafula Chebukati, insisted that the process was marred by opaqueness.
The four commissioners told journalists in Nairobi that the results announced by Chebukati were inaccurate and a misrepresentation of the official tally.
Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials inspect electoral documents at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 11, 2022. (Photo by Joy Nabukewa/Xinhua)
The commissioners said the aggregation of presidential results for the four candidates was inflated by a figure they said could tilt the election outcomes.
The commissioners added that the chairman of the electoral body failed to indicate the total number of registered voters, and the total number of votes cast or rejected in violation of the law.
According to the commissioners, the chairman violated the electoral laws as he announced presidential election results when verification and tallying in some constituencies had not been completed. ■
