William Ruto has been announced as the fifth Kenyan president by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“There are no losers. The people of Kenya have won because we raised the political bar,” Al-Jazeera quoted the president-elect, who spoke after the announcement of the results on Monday.
Ruto led a tight presidential race against opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Chaos emerged just before the declaration when the electoral commission’s vice chair and three other commissioners told journalists they could not support the “opaque nature” of the final phase.
“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced,” vice chair Juliana Cherera said. At the declaration venue, police surged to impose calm amid shouting as pushing and shoving ensued.
Diplomats and international elections were whisked out of the tallying hall before Chebukati spoke, as scuffles broke out.
Amid fears that vote-rigging allegations could lead to bloody scenes like those that followed presidential polls in 2007 and 2017, Cherera urged the parties to pursue any disputes through the courts.
(Reuters)