NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 16 – Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati has gazetted William Ruto as the duly elected president.
Through a gazette notice, Chebukati also gazetted Ruto’s running mate Rigathi Gachagua as deputy president.
“In respect to Article 136 (1) of the Constitution: Ruto William Samoei, and in respect to 148 (3) of the Constitution: Gachagua Rigathi have been duly elected as the President and Deputy President, respectively, of the Republic of Kenya having complied with the provisions of Article 138 (4) of the Constitution during the General Elections held on Tuesday, 9th August 2022,” the gazette notice stated.
Ruto was declared President-Elect Monday evening after sailing past the ‘50 per cent plus one’ constitutional threshold that requires a winner in a presidential election to garner 50 per cent of votes cast and an additional vote to avoid a runoff.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate garnered 7,176,141 (50.49 per cent) votes beating his closest challenger, Azimio’s Raila Odinga, who managed 6,942,930 votes (48.85 percent).
Odinga, a veteran opposition leader, was making his fifth stab with the backing of the ruling Jubilee Party led by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Chebukati, who addressed the nation at 6pm, three hours after an earlier slated time, said Ruto also garnered 25 per cent of votes in twenty-four counties in line with the requirement to secure the threshold in half of the counties.
The two other presidential candidates — Agano Party’s David Mwaure and Roots Party’s George Wajackoyah — garnered 31,987 (0.23 per cent) and 61,969 (0.44 per cent) respectively.
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