Kenyans went to the polls last week in an election widely hailed
as one of the most transparent and peaceful in the nation's history.
But the losing candidate Raila Odinga has refused to concede and
he may challenge the results in the Supreme Court. Special correspondent
Nee Ha Waseca reports from Nairobi.
For six long days, Kenyans waited anxiously and patiently for the
results of the 2022 presidential elections.
Many in Nairobi's Kibera neighborhood. We're pulling for their candidate,
Raila Odinga.
And it's seen violence in previous elections when the five time presidential
contender has lost. Calvin's Yang lives here, teaching art to young
people in painting murals around the neighborhood. He had a message
for his community as they waited apart from the small time that we
do elections. We are usually living together with people and IBRA
has all
Kenyan tribes.
So our message to people it was to encourage people to remember that
and also to keep peace and can't because at the at the end of everything,
what is important is that piece
Kenyans are still dealing with the fallout of covid 19 and inflation
and after a long and drawn out campaign season, people say they're
tired of politics.
On August 15th Kenyans tuned in to hear who their fifth president
would be watched. The auditorium turned into a free for all as angry
members of the opposition tried to disrupt proceedings and prevent
the electoral commission from announcing the results. Williams somewhere
Number of valid votes.
Seven million.
But finally the chair of the Election commission, Cotti declared
Deputy President William Ruto, the winner.
Celebrations erupted across the country. Most polls predicted that
Ruto would lose this election.
He ran against Kenya's sitting president Kenyatta United with Odinga
against him.
Ruto hailed the election as a step forward for the country.
I am a very proud Kenyan this evening.
That the people of Kenya
Have raised
The bar on us who are seeking leadership in our country.
Not to sell our ethnicities but to sell
Uh, programs are manifestos, our agenda and our plan.
But in such a hotly contested election, Odinga supporters were angry
with the result.
Protests have erupted here in Canberra and informal settlement in
Nairobi. The ABC The Electoral Commission has just named William
Ruto as the fifth president of Kenya. This area is a stronghold for
presidential candidate Raila Jenga, and the people here say that
they are furious.
22
as my third time. Here is my finger. I bought it.
But they're telling us that the elections the commission is divided.
The results are not genuine. So we need justice. We need our justice.
Turnout was uncharacteristically low for the August 9th election.
There were minor bumps with the electronic system, and some voters
complained of delays at the polls. Process is kind of slow.
I have been noticing from the time we have been here. The officials
are not like he are coming to show us the direction but I must must
do my name, Aquatic right fast.
I must vote for change. Yeah, Busy Having some tough times lately.
The past five years we can see reality is going and as a youth and
fighting for my space. This election has been hailed as one fought
less along tribal lines than on issues of economics and class.
Angela Ebola is a political analyst in Nairobi. I always find it
very ironic because these are two of the wealthiest men in the country
of the two. Let's say the two front runners and the for
President. The former president is one of Kenya's few dollar billionaires.
And so these are some of the wealthiest men in Africa for showing
themselves as being of the people and standing with the people and
and you're delivering these very class based narrative night fell,
voting stations turned into tallying stations. Thousands of election
officials began to count votes by Lantern light.
The process was slow because of the great pains taken to make it
so transparent.
It was designed to run openly and smoothly with as little controversy
as possible controversy came anyway.
As happened in 2017, an election official was abducted and his murdered
body discovered days later.
And just before the results were announced by the chair of the Electoral
Commission, for of his commissioners met across town and question
the tallying process. We therefore
Cannot
Take ownership on the results that is going to be announced the country
was waiting to hear from Raila Odinga figures are not
er NIreland void
crushed by a Court of law review.
There's no other legally and body declared winner, not a president
elects
Odinga has signaled that he will take this case all the way to the
Supreme Court, as he did in 2013 and 2017. Every time he's done it
in the past, we've gotten a better election out of it. The reason
why we have this process of verification is because he challenged
the results in 2017. The reason why we don't have overnight nonsense
is because there was a court case challenging
Right, so
Taking things to court is a net positive.
For the country. It strengthens the constitutional law. It strengthens
electoral law tests ideas. It allows us to iterate the electoral
process.
Unlike in previous elections, isolated protests have escalated into
widespread violence. Life is pretty much gotten back to normal here
in Nairobi City Center, But as you have heard,
Odinga does contest the results of the election, and he may be planning
to challenge them here in the Supreme Court.