Kenya’s Ruto to participate in any court challenges to election victory

Nairobi, Aug 17 (EFE).- Kenya’s president-elect William Ruto said on Wednesday he would take part in any legal challenges to his victory in the August 9 election.

Ruto’s comments came a day after his main rival, Raila Odinga, rejected the presidential election results.

“There will be court processes and we will engage with those… because we are democrats and we believe in the rule of law,” Ruto said during a press conference in Nairobi.

Ruto added that his administration will have nothing to do with the blackmail, threats and fear of talking to some people because of their political affiliations.

The president-elect continued to tell his fellow party members to focus on working to fulfill their commitments and move forward to the next level.

Ruto also promised to work on boosting public sector services, uniting the country and fighting against ethnic-based tensions in Kenya.

“There will not be any part of Kenya that will be left behind in our administration because we believe in an inclusive, democratic and progressive government,” he added.

On Monday, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared Ruto as the winner of the presidential election with 50.4% of the votes against Odinga who secured 48.8% of the votes.

However, four of the seven election commissioners dissociated themselves from the result and said the final vote counting had been carried out in an “opaque” manner.

Odinga, the opposition leader defeated in a tight runoff against Ruto, also dismissed the election results as “null” and “void.”

“Our view is that the figures announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by court of law,” Odinga told a press conference in Nairobi.

Under Kenyan law, Odinga has seven days from the announcement of the results to legally challenge them in the Supreme Court. Once the complaint has been lodged, the court has a legal deadline of 14 days to issue its ruling.EFE

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