NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 16 – Azimio La Umoja – One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga is set to address the nation today following his loss to William Ruto in the just concluded general election.
A statement from his press secretary Dennis Onsarigo stated that Odinga will “address to the Nation at 2pm at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) Media Center”
This will be the first time the first time Odinga will be seen in public since the results declaration.
On the campaign trail, both Odinga and Ruto had pledged to deal with any disputes in court rather than on the streets.
No presidential poll outcome has gone uncontested in Kenya since 2002, and a supreme court challenge by Odinga is seen as almost certain, with his running mate Martha Karua saying on Twitter: “It is not over till it is over.”
Kenya’s electoral commission was divided Monday, as it prepared to release the final presidential results.
What started as an elaborate program, complete with an official invitation to candidates, the media, observers, diplomats and other guests turned ugly when four of the seven commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) addressed a press conference from the Serena Hotel and disowned the yet to be announced results.
‘We have done the 2022 general elections in the most effective and efficient manner and ensured all the challenges have been contained but some things need to be put out there,” said Juliana Cherera, IEBC’s Vice Chairperson who was accompanied by four of his colleagues.
Earlier, Azimio leaders demanded to see presidential election results and verify them before asking Raila Odinga to attend the declaration event at Bomas.
Azimio Chief agent Saitabao Ole Kanchory accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati of being evasive with regard to the final results.
“As we speak right now we do not know what the chairman is doing with those results, we have had concerns, particularly about the integrity of the IEBC technology and server,” he said.
He argued that they had received intelligence reports that the IEBC system had been penetrated and hacked and accused some IEBC officials of committing electoral offenses.
The IEBC was under intense pressure to produce a clean and transparent vote after it faced stinging criticism over its handling of Kenya’s annulled 2017 election.
Chebukati, who was also IEBC boss in 2017, insisted he had carried out his duties according to the law of the land despite facing “intimidation and harassment”.
Any challenge must be made within seven days to the supreme court, which then has 14 days to issue a ruling. If it orders an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days.
“A second election would be even more polarised, dragging out business uncertainty while the economy struggles,” Ben Hunter, Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft risk intelligence group, said in a note.
If there is no court petition, Ruto will take the oath of office in two weeks’ time.
In August 2017, the supreme court annulled the election after Odinga rejected the results. Dozens of people were killed by police in ensuing protests.
