KENYA’S Supreme Court on Monday upheld the August 9 election of William Ruto as president in a unanimous decision, Chief Justice Martha Koome said in a scathing judgment that swept aside opposition leader Raila Odinga’s accusations of cheating.
“This is a unanimous decision of the court … This court upholds the election of the first respondent (William Ruto) as the president-elect,” Koome, who heads the seven-member court, said during a televised ruling.
Ruto, 55, has been serving as outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s deputy since 2013 but fell out with Kenyatta after the last election. Kenyatta formed an alliance with his long-time rival Odinga instead.
Ruto, a former roadside chicken-seller whose campaign defeated Kenya’s two most powerful political families, takes the helm of a Western ally in an unstable region, which also hosts the regional headquarters of many global companies and organisations.
Kenya has itself seen repeated instances of deadly election-related violence, often along ethnic lines. Citizens
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