Ololade Adeyanju/
President Uhuru Kenyatta has reacted to announcement of his victory in the Kenyan rerun election.
Kenyatta expressed readiness to submit to every constitutional processes of validating his victory, local newspaper The Star reports.
Kenyan election umpire, IEBC’s chairman Wafula Chebukati officially declared Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto as winners today.
While delivering his acceptance speech, Kenyatta said he would be ready for a challenge to his election through the courts to ensure the lives of Kenyans are protected.
Many people have died since August 8 and in a statement earlier today, Amnesty International regretted punitive policing, noted police should not shoot at protesters and asked the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to look into allegations against police.
Uhuru stated that he would engage with other leaders who lost in the polls only after all avenues are exhausted.
“There is still another process. We shall wait for that process and its outcome and I will submit to this constitutional path no matter the outcome.”
He called on other leaders to ensure peace despite deep political divides after the polls especially with schools heading into an examination period.
“The future of our children should not be disrupted because of our political concerns. My commitment is to ensure that the exams continue as scheduled,” he said.
The president-elect also thanked God and the people of Kenya for vindicating him as the validly elected president in the August 8 general election.
Kenyatta noted:”The Opposition petition that led to my nullification was not based on my election but on the process, and since the law is supreme, I submitted myself to the people leading to the October 26 election. I defeated violence, intimidation and witchcraft.”
Uhuru said the re-run was not easy as rules of engagement changed and then came Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which he is yet to sign.
“I listened to all voices regarding rules of engagement in the run up to the elections and decided not to sign the document because the law should be reasoned based on principles,” he stated.
“Any other country that would have experienced what we went through would have burst asunder but we stayed strong since you cannot choose the opportunity to exercise a right and thereafter abscond from the consequences of that choice.”
Kenyatta’s opponent and opposition party, National Super Alliance (NASA), leader Raila Odinga withdrew from the election citing lack of electoral reforms and claimed the outcome had already been determined.
Raila asked his supporters to boycott the vote, and they did so, primarily in Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya counties.
Kenyatta acknowledged the right to vote or not in his address.
The president-elect said his government will focus on rebuilding and uniting the country to ensure growth and development and respect for human life.
Kenyatta garnered 7,483,895 (98.26 per cent) of the 7,616,217 cast in the election while Odinga was second with 73,228 votes.
Lawyer Ekuru Aukot (Thirdway Alliance) got 21,333, former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo 14,107, Kavinga Kaluyu 8,261, Michael Wainaina 6,000 and Joe Nyaga 5,554.
In the August poll, Kenyatta got 8,203,290 votes (54.27 per cent) against Odinga’s 6,762,224 votes (44.74 per cent).
The president-elect met the 50+1 national requirement and the one for 25 per cent support in at least 24 of the 47 counties. The August general election had a voter turnout of 79.17 per cent – Kenyatta was declared winner with 8,203,290 votes against Odinga’s 6,762,224.
The turnout for the re-run was 38.84 per cent.
This was Odinga’s fifth attempt to get into State House but he had declared he will not retire until Kenya is in a better state.
After Odinga disputed the 2007 election that Mwai Kibaki won, violence erupted leaving at least 1,300 dead and more than 600,000 internally displaced. The two formed a coalition government following intervention by Kofi Annan.
The Opposition leader also vied in the 2013 general election but lost to Kenyatta and alleged rigging.
He claimed the president’s Jubilee party rigged with help from the IEBC, allegations which have been refuted, and turned to the Supreme Court but then resorted to mass action. He has now turned the National Super Alliance into a national resistance movement.
Raila is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday.
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