Kenya’s electoral body, IEBC has Monday declared Uhuru Kenyatta the President-Elect four days after a heated repeat Presidential election. Kenyatta who was the candidate for the Jubilee party was declared the victor of the seven other candidates by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.
According to Chebukati, Kenyatta garnered 7,483,895 votes out of the total valid votes (7,616,217) representing 98.27%. The strongest opposition candidate Raila Odinga got only 73,228 votes (0.96%) despite having withdrawn from the race weeks to the polling day.
The tense repeat election is a result of a Supreme Court ruling that nullified the August 8 election in which Kenyatta had emerged winner with 54%. The court ruled that the IEBC fell short of the required standard especially in managing and transmitting the final results.
The declaration of election results follows weeks of political tension, uncertainty and persistent violent protests by opposition supporters largely fueled by opposition leaders.
The IEBC said that final tallying brought voter turn out to 38.84%. The announcement excluded a total of 4 counties in Nyaza which did not participate in Thursday’s election due to insecurity.
Chebukati said the voters in the 4 counties totaled to 1.32 million but that “these would not alter the results even if their all voted”.
Kenyatta was declared winner at the BOMAS of Kenya, the national tally centre where he and his running mate William Ruto were present. The President-elect received a certificate of victory from IEBC Chebukati who had earlier said he was satisfied that Kenyatta and Ruto has passed the constitutional threshold require for one to be President.
One is required to get 50% + 1 of the total valid votes cast in addition to winning at at least 25% of the total counties.
Inside the tally centre, Jubilee supporters erupted in cheers shortly after Kenyatta was declared the next President. They loudly chanted a “happy birthday” song to Kenyatta whose birthday coincided with polling day o Thursday.
In his acceptance speech, Kenyatta said that the results of the election signified the country’s resilience despite having gone through “politics of darkness and provocation”.
He also said this was a revalidation of the will of Kenyans of the support for his Jubilee party.