William Ruto Emerge Kenya’s new elected President
Kenya’s new president-elect, William Ruto, was chosen by the people.
Despite being the country’s deputy president, William Ruto was able to win the presidency in Kenya’s fiercely disputed general election poll on Tuesday.
According to the official findings, he won by just 0.5% of the vote over his rival, Raila Odinga.
Due to arguments and claims of vote fraud by Mr. Odinga’s campaign, the declaration was delayed.
Four of the electoral commission’s seven members declined to certify the outcome, claiming it was “opaque.”
“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced because of the opaque nature of this last phase of the general election,” said Juliana Cherera, the vice-chairperson of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“We are going to give a comprehensive statement… and again we urge Kenyans to keep calm,” she Juliana Cherera.
The poll was allegedly marred by “irregularities” and “mismanagement,” according to Mr. Odinga’s party representative.
The 55-year-old Mr. Ruto was running for president for the first time. After ten years in that position, he lost the support of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who preferred Mr. Raila Odinga to succeed him.
The 77-year-old former prime minister was standing for president for the fifth time and received 48.8% of the vote.
Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the electoral commission, claimed that despite threats, he had carried out his duty.
“We have taken the path to making sure Kenyans have a credible, fair, and free election. It has not been an easy trip; currently, the CEO and two of my commissioners are hurt ” Wafula explained.
President-elect Ruto commended the electoral commission for managing the election in his speech.
“It’s a lovely evening… All sovereign power in Kenya belongs to the people, according to Mr. Ruto, who also referred to Mr. Chebukati as a “hero” and called the other commissioners’ disagreement with his victory “a side show.” “.
Mr. Ruto stated that he wanted to be president for all people and for the nation to be future-oriented.
“I want to reassure those who have committed several atrocities against us that they have nothing to worry. There won’t be any retribution. We lack the luxury of looking back, ” Mr. William Ruto added.
In some areas of the nation, including Mr. Ruto’s Rift Valley stronghold and that of his deputy Rigathi Gachagua in the Central region, celebrations have started.
Protests have been organized by Mr. Odinga’s supporters in various areas of Nairobi and Kisumu, a city in western Kenya.
However, there is generally pleasure that the outcome has been announced because the nation had come to a standstill since election day on August 9; also, economic activity had ceased, and schools were still closed.
Kenya’s history of contested elections has resulted in bloodshed or the cancellation of the entire election process.
Following the 2007 election, allegations of a stolen election led to at least 1,200 deaths and 600,000 people fleeing their homes.
Hustler vs. Dynasty
Mr. Ruto’s surprise triumph is comparable to his party’s humble symbol, the wheelbarrow, forcing a seven-ton tractor off the road in a nation enamored of political metaphors. Mr. Odinga had the support of the government apparatus. Several surveys indicated that his challenger would win, which Mr. Ruto had disregarded as unreliable.
He was automatically the establishment candidate because he served as vice president for the previous ten years, but he ran as an outsider, framing the race as one between “hustlers” — the underprivileged Kenyans — and “dynasties” — powerful families like the Kenyattas and Odingas, who have played significant roles in the nation’s politics since independence.
In his appeal to the voting audience, he remarked, “I may be the son of a nobody, but I promise to make Kenya the country of everybody.”
His political standing improved when he resisted Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Odinga’s unpopular and expensive year-long attempt to rewrite the constitution at a time when many Kenyans were suffering, including losing their employment as a result of the prolonged effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court declared the action unlawful, which helped Mr. William Ruto’s candidacy.
He also used the election to highlight the need for generational transition, selling his message with pithy catchphrases that resonated with many different groups of people.
Equal attention should be paid to Mr. Ruto’s victory in Kenya’s 2022 election as well as the electoral commission, which entered this election with a dismal record. However, by posting results from the more than 46,000 polling stations on its website, which was open to anyone who wanted to conduct their own count, the electoral commission allowed the media and the general public to participate in the process.
The presidents of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Zimbabwe have praised Mr. William Ruto.
Analysts predict that Mr. Odinga will challenge the outcome.
The Kenyan Supreme Court may need to make another significant judgement in a few weeks after invalidating the most recent election.
