The verdict is out. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, 51, son of the founding
president Mr. Jomo Kenyatta of independent Kenya, became the 4th President
elect of Republic of Kenya. He was declared as winner by Mr. Isaack Hassan,
chairman of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), late in the
afternoon on Saturday at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi in a packed auditorium.
Mr. Kenyatta was supported by about 6 million voters and won with a wafer
thin margin of just around 9 thousand votes to prove his 50 per cent threshold,
disappointing his closest opponent Mr. Odinga, it was a nail biting finish. Mr.
Odinga however was unpleased and raised his eyebrows challenging the system.
Coalition with Mr. William Ruto who is former Eldoret North MP is said
to have helped Mr. Kenyatta for the victory as it gained huge bulk of voters
support residing in the Rift Valley region. These elections were one of the
most closely monitored event of recent times in Sub-Saharan Africa. Both Mr.
Ruto and Mr. Kenyatta have been indicted by the International Criminal Court
(ICC) and huge amount of human casualties post previous elections in the state
were the reasons for the world to follow. There are no reports of any major unrest
till the news have come in but the authorities maintaining law and order are on
a high alert.
Elections were over on Monday 4th March and it took the whole week to
declare the winner despite of implementing electronic means of voting. The
delay was on account of technical glitches in the transmission system and
untrained manpower.
Mr. Kenyatta has thanked the nation and his opponents in the message
and promised to take the country forward.
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