Top Kenyan court upholds Ruto’s win in presidential elections

Nairobi, Sep 5 (EFE).- Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld William Ruto’s victory in the August 9 presidential elections, dismissing a petition filed by runner-up Raila Odinga who contested the results.

The ruling of the country’s highest judicial body is final and cannot be appealed.

In a statement following the ruling, Odinga said he has “always stood for the the rule of law and the constitution,” and there “respects the opinion of the court”, although he added that he “vehemently disagrees with their decision”.

Ruto, 55, is set to become Kenya’s fifth president since independence in 1963 after he takes his oath of office on September 13.

Ruto, who will replace Uhuru Kenyatta, emerged as the winner of the election with 50.4% of the votes against Odinga, who secured 48.8% of the tally.

On August 22, Odinga and his running mate, Martha Karua, submitted a petition complaining of a corrupt process that led to his main opponent’s narrow victory.

It is the fifth time Odinga, 77, has contested results during his decades-long career as an opposition leader that has seen him lose five presidential elections.

After his narrow defeat in 2007, his allegations of fraud sparked a wave of ethnic violence that left over 1,100 people dead and 600,000 internally displaced.

In 2017, the Supreme Court accepted his appeal for the first time and called for a second round of voting. EFE

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