William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya’s presidential election – moments after the main count was interrupted as scuffles broke out.
Mr Ruto is currently the country’s deputy president and has beaten opposition leader Raila Odinga to the top job after winning 50.49% of the vote.
“We are here this evening to witness this momentous occasion as the people of Kenya restate what is in article one of the constitution of Kenya that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya,” Mr Ruto said after his victory was announced.
“I want to thank God for getting us to this point, I want to thank God that today we have concluded this election.
“I know that there were predictions that I wouldn’t get to the ballot, there were predictions that we wouldn’t get here, but because there is a God in heaven we are here, and I want to in a very special way to say, and to confess, that without God we wouldn’t have been here.”
Earlier, chairs were thrown, bottles were smashed and a lectern was knocked over as chaos erupted in the hall in Nairobi.
The planned announcement of the election results descended into chaotic scenes after the deputy chairperson of the election commission and three other commissioners disowned the results.
Two commissioners and the chief executive of the commission were injured in the scuffles and are receiving treatment.
Sky News’ correspondent Yousra Ekhagir witnessed the disruption take place.
“Fighting broke out when members of former prime minister and frontrunner Raila Odinga’s party flipped a table and starting flipping over chairs and contesting the results of the election,” she said.
“Now, his opponent and current deputy president William Ruto has arrived, and an eerie calm has come over the centre.
“People are clapping now, they have just welcomed him in, but it’s very strange, and it’s very awkward to feel that people are acting like what just happened didn’t happen.”
BREAKING: SCENES NOW AT KENYA’S NATIONAL TALLYING CENTRE pic.twitter.com/JbMuv249zO
— Yousra Elbagir (@YousraElbagir) August 15, 2022
People had been waiting at the centre for hours following several delays to the election result being announced.
The building was packed with party officials, who were being entertained by musicians calling for calm. Sky News
Congratulations former railway line – child chicken pieces seller
Those who say let’s vote in numbers have you seen now that we have been telling you the truth that voting in numbers is nothing when the environment is not free and fair.
These elections may look as if they were free and fair but the result will show if that was the case.
It’s a waste of your time especially in Zimbabwe where the environment is even worse than that of Kenya.
Congratulations Mr President Ruto
Ndizvo zvichangoitika same kuZim Chamisa achangorohwa netumaPercentage tushoma zvimaRuling party zvoshandisa skiri one kuti zvirambe zviripanyanga.Evryone in Kenya have the hope in Raila Odinga to be their leader same as the people pple nid Nero to take the hot seat
Next year, it will be President ED re-elect. We are not stopping ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼 congratulations 🎊 President elect William Ruto
Pofi
There are SOME in these streets who vested copious amounts of emotional capital in the hope that Raila Odinga emerge victorious in the Kenyan Plebiscite. Alas, the Kenyan Gods would not have it. #WilliamRuto has been declared as the winner. Free and fair so says everyone. 7 days of meticulous counting and double treble verifications and audits… Thousands of local and foreign observers. And the #Hustler wins. Lessons for Zimbabweans…it is not social media and demomising that wins elections, but rather tangible results on the ground. No matter the endorsements from wherever (and some endorsements emanate from toxic elements)…it is the #RealPeople who determine who REMAINS at 16 Chanellor Avenue. 2. The other and real lesson: not everything that happens next door will by contagion happen in your house. The Gods and ancestral spirits ar different. The state rests your honour!
Raila Odinga must retire from politics !
He did his part!
Congratulations William Ruto 👏 From a man of the cloth straight to the State House as President of Kenya 🇰🇪 👏what a promotion. It can only be the hand of God to win such a heated election .Raila Odinga on the other hand needs to accept defeat gracefully.
Ronald Mapfumo…the Kenyan elections have certified and endorsed as free, credible and fair BY THE KENYANS THEMSELVES. All observers agreed. Look, people need to realize that an election does not fail the credibility test if an opposition candidate loses. That notion actually accentuates the foreign puppet perception. Its the toxic foreign endorsements and crafting of glossy electoral manifestos by western Intelligence Agents/NGO’s which dont even make sense, that cause opposition candidates to be serial failures. The moment Uhuru refused to give suppirt to #WillamRuto and switching allegiance to Raila, the Kenyans became galvanized to vote to end patent dynastic politics (in the 60’s it was Jomo Kenyatta as President and Odinga Odinga as Vice and now Uhuru Kenyatta would have been succeeded by Raila Oding). That worked in Ruto’s favor as he became the rank outsider and the defender of meritocracy. In simpler terms the Kenyans voted not for change but continuation. They liked the status quo policies.
#RealPeople know where the sun rises.