The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner Friday of a disputed election with 54.27 (8,203,290) percent of votes, beating his rival Raila Odinga who scored 44.74 percent, the election commission announced.
“Having fulfilled the requirement by law… I therefore wish to declare Uhuru Kenyatta… as president elect,” said polls commission chairman Wafula Chebukati, as cheers and singing broke out at the national tallying centre.
Kenyatta took to the stage to thank Kenyans “for the confidence they have shown in me.”
He vowed to “continue the work that we have already started and re-dedicate ourselves toward serving this great nation and our people.”
Kenyatta also reached out to Odinga — who has rejected the vote due to alleged rigging — and his supporters, to “work together… so that we can build this nation together”.
“We are not enemies. We are all citizens of one republic. As with any competition there shall always be winners and there shall be losers but we all belong to one great nation of Kenya,” he said.
“Let us be peaceful… there is no need for violence. Your neighbour is your neighbour regardless of their ethnicity, their religion, their colour.”
Odinga’s National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition refused to take part in the announcement of results, after accusing the election commission of refusing to hear their concerns over the counting process.
Top NASA official James Orengo denounced the counting process as “an entire charade, this is a disaster.”
Earlier, Kenya’s opposition coalition refused to take part in the announcement of election results on Friday night, slamming the process as a “charade” and accusing the election commission of ignoring their concerns.
The National Super Alliance (NASA) has alleged massive rigging from shortly after the end of Tuesday’s election, and had earlier asked the election commission (IEBC) to hold off on announcing results until their concerns could be addressed.
However as the IEBC prepared to announce the result, top NASA leader Musalia Mudavadi said: “We are not going to be party to it, out issues have not been addressed.”
“We have raised some very serious concerns, they have not responded to them. The chairman told us … they will respond to us after the event,” said Mudavadi.
Another top NASA official James Orengo denounced the counting process as “an entire charade, this is a disaster.”
Orengo also rejected calls from foreign observers to turn to the courts with their grievances. In 2013 their presidential candidate Raila Odinga said the poll had been rigged and lost his case at the Supreme court.
“Going to court for us is not an alternative. We have been there before. It’s not an alternative,” he said.
“Every time an election has been stolen, the Kenyan people have stood up to make sure that changes are made to make Kenya a better place.”
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