On Monday, Raila Odinga, Kenya’s unsuccessful presidential candidate, submitted an online appeal to the country’s highest court contesting the outcome of the election on August 9 that gave his opponent William Ruto the victory.
The election’s results were disputed by veteran opposition leader Odinga, who ran with the support of the ruling party, who called them a “travesty.”
By a mere 230,000 votes, or less than 2% of the vote, he fell short to Ruto.
A member of the 77-year-old politician’s legal team, Daniel Maanzo, said of the petition, “It has already been given to them and they will see it shortly.”
We believe we have a strong case and will prevail, he continued.
A tangible copy of the petition would be submitted before the Supreme Court’s deadline of 2 pm (1100 GMT), according to Paul Mwangi, who is also representing Odinga, who told AFP.
Read also: Breaking: Kenya’s election results, according to Raila Odinga, are “parodies.”
Although voting day went off without incident, the results release a week ago triggered heated demonstrations in some of Odinga’s strongholds, and there are worries that a protracted debate may escalate into violence in a nation with a history of post-election instability.
Every presidential election in Kenya since 2002 has resulted in a disagreement, and this year’s election result also led to a division inside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the body responsible for overseeing the vote.
Read also: Kenya elections: Police disperse Kisumu protesters with tear gas
When President Uhuru Kenyatta was proclaimed the winner of the presidential election in August 2017, Odinga, who was making his sixth attempt for the top position, also went before the Supreme Court.
In a first for Africa, the court declared that election invalid and demanded a rerun, which Odinga boycotted. During a police onslaught on protesters, dozens of people died.
Judges currently have 14 days to make a decision. If they decide to nullify the results, a fresh election must be held in 60 days.
On Monday, hundreds of people in favor of Odinga gathered in front of the court, blowing whistles and holding signs that said, “Electoral Justice Now!” and “We want justice now.”
One man wearing a plant-made crown declared, “Odinga must win so that we get the 6,000 shillings ($50) promised in his platform.” He was alluding to a monthly cash distribution for low-income households.
As police stood watch over the court grounds, a second man, who was carrying a Bible and was sporting a large pair of green glasses, bowed down in prayer.
The tribunal has already received one petition submitted by a voter, but judges are also likely to take into account other objections to the outcome.
Odinga, who patched things up with Kenyatta in 2018 and had the president’s support for his campaign, declared last week that the IEBC’s results were “null and void” and needed to be overturned in court.
After receiving harsh criticism for the way it handled the election in August 2017, the IEBC was under intense pressure to conduct a fair poll.
But in a shocking turn of events, four of the seven IEBC commissioners accused chairman Wafula Chebukati of operating a “opaque” operation just before the results were made public and afterwards claimed the numbers did not tally up.
Chebukati denied the allegations, claiming that despite “intimidation and harassment,” he had carried out his duties in accordance with the law of the land.
Charles Kanjama, a constitutional lawyer, told AFP that there was “some ambiguity” surrounding the question of whether Chebukati required the commissioners’ approval to release the results.
The results of the election are closely followed as a test of democratic maturity in the East African nation because Odinga has already claimed that he was cheated of victory in the 2007, 2013, and 2017 elections.
Both front-runners promised to settle any issues in court rather than on the streets while they were still in the race.
Since the results were announced, Ruto has adopted a conciliatory stance and offered to “operate with all leaders,” while Odinga has praised his supporters for “remaining calm.”
Following the 2007 election, Kenya had its worst electoral violence, during which more than 1,100 people lost their lives in confrontations between opposing tribes driven by politics.
Ruto will take office as Kenya’s fifth president since gaining independence from Britain in 1963 if the Supreme Court confirms the results. Kenya is now dealing with a catastrophic drought, rising unemployment, and surging inflation.
