Kenya Set To Learn Outcome Of Tight Election Race
Sumaira FH Published August 15, 2022 | 02:40 PM
Nairobi, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2022 ) :Kenya is expected Monday to learn the outcome of its closely-fought presidential election after a long wait for results that has put the nation on edge.
Deputy President William Ruto was leading with slightly more than 51 percent of the vote against 48 percent for Raila Odinga, based on official results from more than 80 percent of Constituencies, according to a tally published by the Daily Nation newspaper.
At church services on Sunday in the largely Christian country, both men had appealed for calm as the wait for final results of the August 9 vote dragged on.
Polling day passed off largely peacefully in the East African political and economic powerhouse, but memories of vote-rigging and deadly violence in 2007-08 and 2017 still loom large.
And the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is under intense pressure to deliver a clean poll in a country regarded as a beacon of stability in a troubled region.
Results must be issued by the end of Tuesday at the latest, according to Kenya's constitution.
"I am ready for whatever outcome. Whether it is Ruto or Raila we must move on. We have waited for too long," said Livingstone Wabwire, 27, a shoe shiner in downtown Nairobi.
- Disenchantment - Ruto, 55, is deputy president but effectively ran as challenger after outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta threw his support behind his former foe Odinga, the 77-year-old veteran opposition leader making his fifth bid for the top job.
Kenyans voted in six elections to choose a new president as well as senators, governors, lawmakers, women representatives and some 1,500 county officials.
Kenyatta, the 60-year-old son of the first post-independence president, has served two terms and could not run again.
The winner of the presidential race needs to secure 50 percent plus one vote and at least a quarter of the votes in 24 of Kenya's 47 counties.
If not, the country will be forced to hold a runoff within 30 days of the original vote.
Observers say that with the race so close, an appeal to the Supreme Court by the losing candidate is almost certain, meaning it could be many weeks before a new president takes office.
Turnout on polling day was lower than expected at around 65 percent of Kenya's 22 million registered voters, compared with about 78 percent in the last election in 2017.
Observers blamed disenchantment with the political elite, particularly among young people in a country battling a severe cost- of-living crisis and a punishing drought that has left millions hungry.
- 'At breaking point' - Lawyer David Mwaure -- one of the four presidential candidates along with former spy George Wajackoyah -- conceded on Sunday, endorsing Ruto, whose party won a key gubernatorial race when Johnson Sakaja secured control of Nairobi, Kenya's capital and richest city.
The Star newspaper on Monday said "public anxiety" over the election results was at "breaking point." But, it noted, Kenyans had conducted themselves peacefully during and after the election with no significant incidents reported.
"The will of the people is supreme. We must all accept and respect that decision despite the pain of loss," it said in an editorial.
The IEBC had faced sharp criticism over its handling of the August 2017 poll, which in a historic first for Africa was annulled by the Supreme Court after Odinga challenged the outcome.
Dozens of people were killed in the chaos that followed the election, with police brutality blamed for the deaths.
Kenyatta went on to win the October rerun after a boycott by Odinga.
The worst electoral violence in Kenya's history occurred after a disputed vote in 2007, when more than 1,100 people were killed in bloodletting between rival tribes.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Israel carries out attack inside Iran, report US media
Saudi Assistant Minister of Defence calls on army chief
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 19 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 19 April 2024
Rock-solid Ruud racks up season-leading win in Barcelona
At UN, Iran says it will make Israel 'regret' reprisals
G7 hears calls for 'critical' Ukraine aid
EU seeks to leverage might to confront China, US challenge
5 Customs officials martyred as their vehicle ambushed by terrorists in D I Khan
Pak-New Zealand match called off due to rain
NHA restores traffic on roads affected by recent rains in Balochistan
China to fully support Pakistan's efforts against terrorism: Ambassador Jiang
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
3 hours ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
4 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
5 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
5 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur presents program “Eidi Shidi”
8 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur to broadcast Eid programs
10 days ago
-
DC, DPO Haripur inspect bus terminals to review fares compliance
12 days ago -
Second phase of refugees’ repatriation to start after Eidul Fitr vacations
12 days ago -
Reaping bounties as Ramazan culminates
12 days ago -
Digital transformation – a boon or bane
12 days ago -
Plants’ business: Another casualty of climate change
14 days ago -
Eid shoppers prioritize children’s joy over personal comforts
14 days ago