ICC indictee Kenyata elected, Odinga’s aid claims “fraudulent process”

Here are three informative news reports in the past hour regarding the Kenyan election result.

The nation reported, IEBC declares Uhuru Kenya’s fourth president:

Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the duly elected President of Kenya by the electoral commission.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Isaack Hassan made the announcement at the Bomas of Kenya Saturday.

He said Mr Kenyatta had fulfilled the constitutional requirements after garnering 6,173,433 votes, representing 50.07 per cent of the total votes cast and getting 25 per cent in 32 of Kenya’s 47 Counties.

Mr Hassan presented the certificate of presidential results to Mr Kenyatta to wild cheers from his supporters. He was accompanied by vice president elect William Ruto and his wife Margaret Kenyatta, who is the First Lady designate.

KBC reported, Kenyatta confirmed winner of the presidential election:

Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta has been confirmed as the winner of the presidential election.

Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission said Uhuru won 50.07 percent of the vote on a turnout of 86 percent, narrowly avoiding a run-off ballot.However, his main rival, PM Raila Odinga, alleged voting irregularities and is expected to file a challenge.

The IEBC chairman Issack Hassan said the latest elections had been complex and difficult but also credible and transparent. Hassan said that Kenyans had voted calmly, patiently, proudly and peacefully in the full glare of whole world. He praised the candidates who had already conceded defeat and urged others to follow suit.

Uhuru won 6,173,433 votes out of a total of 12,330,028. Raila polled 5,340,546 votes.

According to CBS, Eliud Owalo, Odinga’s chief campaign manager, said after preliminary results were released that the prime minister would not concede defeat "because the process was fraudulent."

CBS also reported that:

A win by Kenyatta could greatly affect Kenya’s relations with the West. Kenyatta faces charges at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in directing some of Kenya’s 2007 postelection violence. His running mate, William Ruto, faces similar charges.

Francis Eshitemi, an Odinga supporter in Nairobi’s largest slum, Kibera, said it was clear his candidate had lost in a free and fair election and that he expected him to concede.

"The problem is that Raila doesn’t have the numbers. There were a few irregularities, but the gap between Raila and Uhuru is big," he said.

Isaac Khayiya, another Odinga supporter, said: "This time we want post-election peace, not war. We will be the ones to suffer if there is violence. For them — Uhuru, Ruto, Odinga — they have security and they are rich."

The United States has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta wins, as have several European countries. Britain, which ruled Kenya until the early 1960s, has said they would have only essential contact with the Kenyan government if Kenyatta is president.

Odinga’s camp has indicated legal challenges could be filed. Monday’s presidential vote proceeded mostly peacefully, but the counting process has been stymied by a myriad of break-downs and errors.

That the winner was quietly revealed overnight — at about 2:35 a.m. local time — came as somewhat of a surprise. At about midnight the electoral commission said it would give a formal announcement of the winner at 11 a.m. local time Saturday. Observers believed that the decision was made in part not reveal a winner overnight, something that could stir suspicions and put security forces at a disadvantage if rioting broke out. Read more at: CBS – Kenyatta wins Kenya presidential race