Kenya election result: Raila Odinga and William Ruto await verdict

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Composite image of Raila Odinga and William RutoImage source, AFP
Image caption,

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga (left) is just behind Deputy President William Ruto in the count

The results of Kenya's much-awaited presidential election will be known shortly, the electoral body has announced.

Preparations for the declaration are underway at the national tallying centre in the country's capital, Nairobi.

Deputy President William Ruto has a narrow lead over ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the latest count.

Kenyans have been waiting anxiously for six days for the results.

Supporters of both of the main candidates, dressed in party colours and in celebratory mood, have gathered at various centres across the country to wait for the announcement.

Mr Ruto and two other presidential candidates have arrived at the culture centre at Bomas where the event is being held. It is however unclear if Mr Odinga, who was also invited by the the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), would attend the event.

A choir has been performing at the packed auditorium since morning.

There have been calls for peace from several leaders and bodies including the Catholic Church, which asked for "patience and civility" and urged the main candidates to show "restraint and statesmanship".

Mr Ruto leads the official tally at 51% against Mr Odinga's 48%, according to local media. Verified results from 39 of the 290 constituencies are yet to be declared.

Media organisations have also been releasing provisional tallies using official data from the 46,000 polling stations. They also show a tight race. About 14 million votes were cast - a turnout of 65%.

Kenya presidential results 2022

In order to win in the first round, a candidate must get 50% plus one of the cast vote and at least 25% of the votes in 24 out of 47 counties.


Last updated: 15/08/2022, 18:59:28 local time (GMT+3)

Final results from IEBC

Candidates Vote
William Ruto
50%
50.5%
7,176,141
William Ruto
7,176,141
Kenya Kwanza Alliance
Votes: 7,176,141
At least 25% of county votes 39/47
Raila Odinga
48.8%
6,942,930
Raila Odinga 6,942,930
Azimio la Umoja coalition
Votes: 6,942,930
At least 25% of county votes 34/47
George Wajackoyah
0.4%
61,969
George Wajackoyah 61,969
Roots Party
Votes: 61,969
At least 25% of county votes 0/47
David Mwaure
0.2%
31,987
David Mwaure 31,987
Agano Party
Votes: 31,987
At least 25% of county votes 0/47
Other Candidates
0.6%
93,956
Other Candidates 93,956

IEBC officials have finished verifying the votes results of the presidential election.

The process involved comparing photographs of result forms from the polling stations to physical forms brought to the centre to ensure they match.

This painstaking effort saw the head of the electoral body, Wafula Chebukati, accuse agents from the main parties, who were witnessing the process, of turning a straightforward exercise into a "forensic" one.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Poll officials compared tens of thousands of paper and electronic results forms to see if they match

How are Kenyans feeling?

There is a sense of anxiety in the country with many people who spoke to the BBC saying they want the announcement to be made quickly because the tense atmosphere had stalled economic activities in the country. Schools also remain closed.

Disputed elections in the past have led to violence or the whole process election being cancelled.

Following the 2007 vote, at least 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 fled their homes following claims of a stolen election.

In 2017, huge logistical errors led the Supreme Court to annul the result and order the presidential poll to be re-run.

Allegations of election rigging are as old as the country. It was part of politics even before multiparty elections were re-introduced in the 1990s, but the push for free and fair elections has never faltered.

After the violence that followed the 2007 election, political parties and activists argued for the use of technology instead of physical registers, which could be easily manipulated, to verify voters.

This year's election is the third time technology has been used but it has yet to deliver an election that has not been challenged in the courts.

Officials are under pressure to get things right this time.

"We are going to make it very difficult in this election for people to go to court to challenge the results that we have, because we are so transparent that even if they want to go to court, they would be very embarrassed to do so," one of the electoral commissioners, Justus Nyangaya, told the BBC.

Media caption,

Kenya's presidential vote: What scenarios to expect

What is needed to win?

To win the presidential race in the first round, a candidate needs:

  • more than half of all the votes cast across the country

  • at least 25% of the votes cast in a minimum of 24 counties.

Otherwise voting goes to a second round which by law has to happen by 8 September.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is standing down after serving his limit of two terms in office. He has endorsed his long-time rival, Mr Odinga, rather than his deputy, Mr Ruto.

Who is in the race to run Kenya?

Learn more about Kenya’s presidential candidates

Choose a candidate to view their bio

Raila Amollo Odinga

Azimio la Umoja Coalition

  • Age: 77
  • Nicknamed “Baba”
  • Son of former vice-president
  • Trained as an engineer in what was then East Germany
  • Prime minister from 2008 to 2013 in the unity government created after post-election violence
  • Formed alliance with ex-political enemy President Uhuru Kenyatta
  • Four-time unsuccessful presidential candidate
  • Championed multiparty democracy in the one-party era.
  • Detained twice (1982-88 and 1989-91) as a political prisoner.
  • Seen as a formidable campaigner able to draw large crowds.
  • Achieve double-digit economic growth through investment in small business and manufacturing sector.
  • Provide affordable quality healthcare for all.
  • Disburse $50 (£42) a month to two million needy households.

William Samoei Ruto

Kenya Kwanza Alliance

  • Age: 55
  • Worked as a street trader as a teenager.
  • Has a PhD in plant ecology from the University of Nairobi.
  • Served as deputy president since 2013 but fell out with boss President Uhuru Kenyatta.
  • One of Kenya’s biggest maize farmers.
  • Charged by the International Criminal Court over post-election violence – charges later dropped.
  • Portrays himself as champion of the downtrodden.
  • Coined phrase “hustler nation”
  • Owns huge parcels of land but the source of his wealth is a subject of speculation.
  • Praised as an effective agriculture minister from 2008-2010.
  • Seen as a powerful orator and robust media interviewee
  • Give all Kenyans subsidised health insurance cover and a fee waiver for poor households.
  • Allocate $420m annually to support small and medium-sized enterprises.
  • Appoint a gender-balanced cabinet.

George Wajackoyah

Roots Party

  • Age: 63
  • Holds a masters in international development law from the UK’s University of Warwick.
  • Says he has 17 university degrees
  • Worked in police intelligence before he fled the country in 1990 to escape from torture
  • Gained notoriety with eye-catching policies
  • Lived on the streets of the capital as a child and was rescued by Hare Krishna worshippers
  • Partner in a law firm he established in 2018
  • Campaigns wearing a tracksuit, T-shirt and headscarf rather than a smart suit
  • Legalise the farming and production of marijuana for industrial and medical use
  • Switch to a four-day working week from Monday to Thursday
  • Invest in snake farming to extract the venom which can be exported

David Mwaure Waihiga

Agano Party

  • Age: 65
  • Practised law for more than three decades
  • Also an ordained reverend
  • Previously ran for MP, senator and county governor – losing each time
  • Founded Agano Party in 2006
  • Says he brings a “breath of fresh air” to the top of politics
  • First expressed an interest in running for president in 2013
  • Set up an asset recovery agency under the presidency to recover stolen funds
  • Slash income tax by half and get rid of it altogether for medics and police
  • Give incentives to manufacturers and entrepreneurs to create jobs