The electoral commission said it would be at least Thursday before a winner is declared in Kenya’s tight but peaceful presidential election, in which turnout was noticeably lower than usual.
Longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga, who ran in five elections and was supported by former rival and incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, likely lost Tuesday’s poll. Deputy President William Ruto, who had a falling out with the president earlier in their decade in office, is the other leading candidate.
Voters have voiced anger with growing prices and pervasive corruption in the economic center of East Africa, along with little hope for genuine change.
The commission said on Wednesday that voter turnout was at least 65%, significantly lower than the 80% recorded in the 2017 election. More than 22 million people are registered to vote, but some of them told The Associated Press that they weren’t sure if they would bother because of the difficult economic conditions, including as the significant national debt and widespread unemployment.
Odinga, a proponent of democracy and former political prisoner, and Ruto, a wealthy populist who emphasizes his modest upbringing as a contrast to the dynasties that produced Odinga and Kenyatta, are both well known to Kenyans.
The president’s support for Odinga went beyond the typical ethnic divisions that have historically characterized elections and fueled bloodshed. Although both leading contenders opted for Kikuyu running mates, this election does not include a candidate from Kenya’s biggest ethnic group, the Kikuyu.
Within a week of the vote, the official election results must be declared. The national results forms still need to be verified by the electoral commission. The commission received more than 98% of the results forms from the more than 46,000 polling places on Wednesday.
According to Wafula Chebukati, chair of the electoral commission, “the problem of stating that we should proclaim results today (Wednesday) will not happen today,” but he added that the goal is to wrap up the process “at the earliest possible time.” He claimed that voting was painless.
While the other contenders remained mute in public, Odinga’s running partner Martha Karua tweeted, “It’s not done till it’s done.”
In the event that no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held.
An election that goes virtually unnoticed can be desirable. Kenya’s authorities reminded citizens that “this would be a CONTEST, not a FIGHT” on the day of the election. There must be a winner and a loser in every contest. Sometimes, life is lost in a fight.
Elections are typically described as quiet in Kenya, with problems developing afterwards. After the 2007 election results were published and Odinga claimed there had been significant rigging, more than 1,000 people died. After Odinga claimed anomalies, the high court reversed the election results in 2017, becoming the first such decision in Africa. He was accused of treason when he abstained from the next election and proclaimed himself the “people’s president.”
That issue was resolved by a handshake with Kenyatta, which infuriated Ruto because he continues to accuse the president of betrayal.
Both Odinga and Ruto have stated that they will accept the results provided that they were conducted in a free and fair manner.
Approximately 200 out of the more than 46,000 voting kits nationwide have already failed, according to reported issues. The electoral commission described technological malfunctions as “not common” and “routine.” The kits did not recognize some voters, and poll officials refused to utilize the paper voters’ register as a backup, which was permitted, according to several local sources.
Even after Kenya allocated $347 million, or more than $15 per voter, for one of the most expensive elections in Africa, such frustrations persisted.
Anxiety and tiredness were being brought on by the wait for a winner. We haven’t even slept for the previous two days, so everyone is ready to distribute the ballot boxes and return home, according to Loice Wanjiru, a deputy presiding officer at a tallying center in Nairobi, the country’s capital.
Kenyans have one week after the official results are announced to file any legal challenges. The court has two weeks to make a decision. Within 60 days, a new election would be held.
