Odinga files court action over presidential results

Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga has lodged a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the presidential election results, which saw his rival Deputy President William Ruto declared president-elect. Picture: Reuters/Thomas Mukoya

Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga has lodged a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the presidential election results, which saw his rival Deputy President William Ruto declared president-elect. Picture: Reuters/Thomas Mukoya

Published Aug 24, 2022

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Cape Town – On Monday, veteran opposition leader Odinga lodged a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the presidential election results, which saw his rival Deputy President William Ruto declared president-elect.

Scores of his supporters lined the streets of Kenya raising flags and chanting Odinga’s name.

The Petition

Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua, a seasoned lawmaker and gender rights campaigner, said that the presidential election results announced by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati on August 15 were invalid.

In their petition, the duo alleged that the final results announced by Chebukati were not complete, adding that there were gross disparities in results captured by electronic kits and physical forms.

The petition also alleged that Chebukati refused to share and circulate the final presidential results with aspirants' chief agents, observers, media, and some members of the electoral agency before announcing them publicly, according to Xinhua.

Last week the electoral commission chief, Chebukati, declared Deputy President William Ruto the winner of the election by a slim margin. But four out of seven election commissioners dissented, saying the tallying of results had not been transparent.

This is Odinga’s fifth stab at the presidency; he blamed several previous losses on rigging.

On Sunday, Odinga posted a bible verse on his Facebook page saying, “’For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them." – Isaiah 61:8’”

The country’s top court has until Monday, September 5, to deliver a verdict on Odinga’s challenge.

The case will be decided by a seven-judge bench.

What does this court action mean for Kenya?

For the third time in a row, Odinga has challenged the result of Kenya’s presidential elections.

The 77-year-old long-time opposition leader has been ridiculed by some as a bad loser, but analysts say his petitions have been crucial in shaping and strengthening the conduct of elections in Kenya, so whatever the Supreme Court decides, this case will help improve subsequent polls, according to the BBC.

Kenya’s currency comes under pressure towards the end of the month as importer dollar demand picks up, which could affect trading in the coming days.

President-elect Ruto has said although his opponent Odinga has challenged the results of the August 9 presidential election, Ruto said he was forging ahead with creating an administration.

He said no part of the country would be excluded, regardless of political or ethnic affiliations.

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