Kenya: Ruto to Defend Victory Tomorrow After Odinga Presented Case

Capital FM/DPPS
William Ruto (file photo).
31 August 2022
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Njoki Kihiu

Nairobi — President Elect William Ruto will have a chance to defend his August 9 Presidential victory on Thursday after his closest competitor Raila Odinga who is challenging his win and other petitioners made their oral submissions.

President Elect will be represented by Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia, Kioko Kilukumi, Professor Kindiki Kithure and Katwa Kigen.

The independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati and the commission will also submit their defense.

Chebukati and the commission will be represented by Senior Counsel and former Attorney General Githu Muigai, Eric Gumbo and Kamau Karori.

Lawyers representing Odinga led by Senior Counsel James Orengo on Wednesday said the petition filed at the Supreme Court 'is not a conspiracy theory'.

In his submission before the seven judges of the Supreme Court hearing the matter, Odinga stated their petition is hinged on an apparent "pattern of violations" of the Constitution.

"If you look at the evidence before you, we invite you much lordship to conclude that what happened to August 9 this year and the subsequent events that followed on August 15 mark a pattern of violations against the Constitution," Odinga lead counsel James Orengo submitted.

Odinga submitted that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) violated the Constitution by subverting the people's will.

The former Prime Minister, the principal petitioner in the case, pleaded with the Martha Koome-led bench to consider all the evidence before them and deliver justice to the millions of electorates who voted.

Odinga, in particular, asked the court to nullify the August 9 election because the Commission had rigged it in favor of Ruto.

In his prayers, Odinga also submitted that Ruto had failed to attain the 50 percent plus one vote required by law.

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, on August 15, 2022, declared Ruto the President-Elect after garnering 7,176,141 (50.49 percent) votes against Odinga, who got 6,942,930 votes (48.85 percent).

After hearing submissions from all parties, the supreme court will issue its verdict by next week Monday.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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