Uhuru Kenyatta wins disputed election rerun in Kenya

By Magdalene Mukami and Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI

Kenyan incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta has won the disputed presidential poll rerun, Kenya’s electoral body announced on Monday.

Kenyan Chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Wafula Chebukati said: “I hereby call the elections and congratulate the victors I hereby declare Mr. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and Mr. William Samoei Ruto as President-elect and Deputy President-elect respectively.”

The crowds at Bomas of Kenya broke into ululations and singing Kenyatta a birthday song as Oct. 26, the election date, was his birthday.

In a speech at Nairobi's Bomas of Kenya tallying center, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said: “Once again as you all know I have been here before. Hope this is for the last time, fellow Kenyans let me say that today I as a Kenyan celebrate our resilience as a nation and the resilience of our democracy and our people. Any other country experiencing the turns and twists of our recent engagements would be in a tough place. I take this opportunity to thank God.”

Kenyatta commented that he refrained from changing electoral laws because many Kenyans felt he was being unfair to his opponents.

Kenyatta's win in the disputed election, which his main opposition rival Raila Odinga boycotted, comes after post-election violence left at least four dead and numerous others suffering by gunshot wounds.

On the day of the election last Thursday, violent protests broke out all across Kenya as opposition supporters stayed away from polling stations heeding Odinga’s call for a boycott. Hence, voter turnout was 34 percent compared to the 80 percent registered on Aug. 8.

More than 60 people have been killed in Kenya since the Aug. 8 general election, which Kenya’s top court annulled over irregularities and illegalities.

A report was released by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance KEPSA showing that Kenyans have lost 700 billion shillings ($6.7 billion) in revenue due to elections.

President Uhuru Kenyatta won the disputed elections with more than 7 million votes, or 98 percent of votes cast.

He is followed by Odinga, the former prime minister who garnered more than 70,000 votes despite the boycott.

Out of the 19,611,423 registered voters only 7,616,217 voted, the commission recorded 37,713 rejected votes.