Kenya: Defeated Odinga Rejects Presidential Election Results

Facts

• Kenya's presidential candidate and longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tues. rejected the results of the Aug. 9 election officially won by Deputy Pres. William Ruto.
• The five-time presidential candidate and former PM declared the official figures "null and void" and announced plans to use all constitutional and legal means to challenge the election results.
• In a tight race, the country's electoral chairman declared first-time candidate Ruto Kenya's new president on Mon. after he defeated Odinga with about 50.5% of the vote. Odinga only managed to achieve a little under 49% of the vote.
• However, four of the seven election commissioners refused to approve the final phase of voting, which Juliana Cherera, deputy chairwoman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (IEBC), described as "opaque."
• Odinga's national chief agent Saitabao Kanchory accused IEBC officials of electoral fraud and said the voting system had been "hacked." The election results may be challenged before the Supreme Court within a week.
• In 2017, Odinga successfully challenged the results of the presidential election won by Kenyatta, which was followed by protests that left dozens dead. In the Supreme Court, Kenyatta won the reelection following an opposition boycott.

Sources: BBC News, Al Jazeera, CBS, Africa News, and Washington Post.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Ripples Nigeria. All Kenyans and the international community must now join forces to preserve peace and support Kenya's democracy. After widespread violence followed Kenya's 2007 and 2017 elections, every effort must now be made to ensure that similar scenes are not repeated this year because of the bruised egos of Odinga and his main supporter, Pres. Kenyatta. It is vital to uphold democratic processes.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. When violence and tragedy loom, Kenya is back in the headlines. In all this drama, however, one thing must not be forgotten: as in many places around the world, "democracy" in Kenya has degenerated into a mere symbolic act of voting. This election is no exception - it's merely a facade in which power-hungry alleged representatives of the people play a rigged game, and it's paramount to recognize this reality.