Supreme Court upholds Kenyan election results
The highest court in Kenya confirmed on Monday the results of its recent presidential election, bringing an end to a drawn-out electoral contest. President William Ruto will be inaugurated as Kenya’s 5th president on September 13, according to NTV Kenya.
The court certified that Ruto won 50.5% of the vote, beating challenger Raila Odinga’s 48.8%, the BBC reports. In a statement posted on Twitter Monday, Odinga said “we respect the opinion of the court although we vehemently disagree with their decision today.”
Despite the vote’s contentious finale, the upheaval was less violent than in previous Kenyan elections. In 2007, riots over the result killed 1,100, according to Human Rights Watch. After that violence, Ruto and exiting President Uhuru Kenyatta were brought before the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity. The charges were subsequently dropped.
