BBC
Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto has defied the odds by winning the fiercely contested presidential election in East Africa’s powerhouse.
His victory was narrow, stunning, and highly controversial as four of the seven members of the electoral commission rejected the result amid claims of rigging.
There were chaotic scenes inside the main tallying centre. Scuffles broke out on the podium as the head of the commission, Wafula Chebukati, was seemingly about to announce the results.
Mr Chebukati later returned to declare Mr Ruto the winner, and insisted that the election was free and fair.
The official results show that Mr Ruto gained ground in the strongholds of Raila Odinga, his main opponent. He also won by a landslide in Mount Kenya – the political heartland of Mr Odinga’s running-mate Martha Karua and the outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This helped swing the election in Mr Ruto’s favour.
He was the underdog or, as he preferred to call himself, the “hustler”, fighting what he saw as an attempt by two of Kenya’s biggest political dynasties – the Odingas and Kenyattas – to hang on to power. This narrative struck a chord with many young Kenyans.
The 55 year old trailed in opinion polls, and faced a formidable opponent – Mr Odinga – who, in an extraordinary development, was backed by his long-time rival, President Kenyatta.
The president will now have to swallow his pride and hand over the reins of power to his deputy – a man he labelled during the campaign as “untrustworthy”.
All this is conditional on the result being genuine – and not rigged as Mr Odinga’s supporters allege.
Their position has been bolstered by the majority of election commissioners saying they cannot take “ownership” of the result, but Mr Chebukati was adamant that it reflected the will of Kenyans.
“I stand before you despite intimidation and harassment. I have done my duty according to the laws of the land,” Mr Chebukati said.
Mr Ruto was magnanimous in his victory speech, saying he would work with “all leaders” and would strive to ensure the nation was “united and prosperous”.
Mr Odinga has not yet spoken, but he stayed away from the official announcement of the result. It is not yet clear whether he will challenge the result in court, as he has done on previous occasions.
He has lost four previous elections. This was seen as his best chance of winning as Mr Kenyatta campaigned heavily for him, urging voters not to cast their ballots for Mr Ruto…
