Kenyan Politicians Must Maintain Election Legitimacy, Regardless Of The Result

After continued disruption and tension throughout the election, the Kenyan electoral commission announced that Deputy President, William Ruto, will be elected the next President. Ruto won 50.49% of the vote, defeating former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, causing outrage across the country. Ruto will become the fifth President of Kenya since independence, alongside his party the Kenya First Coalition, which has also won a majority in the Senate.

The results were delayed due to pushback from the election coalition when four officials disavowed the chairman’s results. Odinga rejected the election results before they were announced by the Electoral Commission and staged a press conference at which he disputed the results. The national tallying center broke out into fighting when Odinga’s coalition rejected the results. Kisumu, an area of many Odinga voters, broke out into protests, resulting in multiple fires.

Many outspoken leaders and activists have responded to the incoming results. Odinga’s chief agent, Saitabao ole Kanchory, called Bomas, the tallying centre, “a scene of crime.” According to CNN, Kanchory affirmed: “Once we see them, we want to verify them, when we verify them, we will be able to know and to tell the Kenyan people because a result that is not verifiable is not a result.”

“In this election, there are no losers. The people of Kenya have won because we have raised the political bar. The people of Kenya are the biggest winners,” said Ruto, who organized a conference after the results were released as well. “I will run a transparent, open, democratic government and I will work with the opposition to the extent that they provide oversight over my administration.”

Outside observers also chimed in, with human rights activist Alamin Kimathi tweeting, “The reckless behavior at Bomas by so-called leaders, which can fast ignite the country, must be called out. Let the drama end. Let the process continue.”

Like any result as close as this, there is plenty of room for suspicion and questioning in the election process. It is not uncommon for the opposition party to contest an election in a country where horrific events of corruption have occurred so recently. Although Odinga is contesting the results, this is a bad look for the Kenyan government, whether Odinga is the true winner or not.

If it turns out Ruto is the winner, Odinga’s camp should not continue to protest the result, but instead, try to quell any violence by conceding the election. On the other hand, if somehow the results would change, it is up to Ruto to try to prevent any further protests. As in any election, voters look to their leader, winner or loser, to determine their reaction. In this case, it is important to maintain the peace.

Ruto is succeeding Uhuru Kenyatta, who endorsed Odinga for president. He leaves Kenya with many holes for Ruto to fill, including in national debt, government corruption, infrastructure projects, and rising food and fuel prices. Ruto and Kenyatta were side-by-side in 2013 in the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for alleged crimes against humanity after the 2007 elections, but the case was later thrown out. The 2007 elections sparked the introduction of checks and balances to election processes to prevent allegations like the opposition is making.

Ruto showed his popularity throughout the country, running on a “hustler-in-chief” campaign, highlighting his rise from a poor chicken seller to Kenyan President. Ruto pledges to “uplift ordinary citizens” and provide solutions to economic issues. His man-of-the-people populist approach proved to be successful for voters, even against Odinga’s endorsements and his family history in politics.

Both Ruto and Odinga must maintain the legitimacy of the Kenyan government, no matter the result of the election. It is important for the nation to be able to confidently announce election winners, while also squashing any form of corruption in the process.

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