The official announcement from the Chairman of the Election Commission of Kenya confirms what has been deemed the eventual outcome based on the past few days’ count. After the count has been completed and verified, Chairman Issack Hassan declared Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta as the new President of the Republic of Kenya speaking thus: “I therefore declare Uhuru Kenyatta the duly elected president of the Republic of Kenya.”
Kenyatta got 50.7% of the vote or 6,173,433 out of 12,330,028. A total of 10 candidates vied for the post. There was an 86% voter turnout in this year’s presidential election, significantly higher than in the 2007 election and the largest ever.
Odinga to challenge result
Most of the other candidates have already conceded as the count was drawing to a close except for one. The main rival of the recently declared winner, Prime Minister Raila Odinga will file a charge against Kenyatta for voting irregularities. The Nairobi-based Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) however insist that the result of the recently concluded presidential elections is valid, though they experienced a number of technical glitches and other difficulties. The IEBC is proud of the manner by which the election was conducted as well as the behavior of the voting public — patient and peaceful.
Presidential profile
The new President of Kenya is scheduled to appear before the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity for the part he played in the violent events that marred the 2007 elections where there were a thousand fatalities reported and hundreds of thousands prosecuted.
President Kenyatta is 51 years old, a husband and father of three. He is the heir of a political legend in Kenya, and to a large fortune as well. He is the son of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the founding President of the Republic. The younger Kenyatta is considered a hero in his own right amongst his people.
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