Adebayo Adenrele
The Deputy President of Kenya, William Ruto, has promised not to unleash revenge on anyone but rather work with Leaders in Kenya and bring all hands to desk.
55-year-old Ruto stated this after he was declared the winner of the Kenyan presidential election to defeat his rival, Raila Odinga.
“There is no room for vengeance. I am acutely aware that our country is at a stage where we need all hands on deck,” he said.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman, Wafula Chebukati, said Ruto won almost 7.18 million votes (50.49 percent) in the election, against 6.94 million (48.85 percent) for Raila Odinga.
In his words, “I stand before you despite intimidation and harassment. I have done my duty according to the laws of the land.”
“In accordance with the law, I… hereby declare that Ruto William Samoei has been duly elected as the President.”
Shortly before his announcement, four out of seven IEBC commissioners said they could not recognise the results, raising rigging fears in the closely-watched poll in the country.
However, the outcome was a bitter blow for Odinga, the 77-year-old veteran opposition leader who had the weight of the ruling party behind him afterwards forging a 2018 pact with outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta in a stunning shift of allegiances.
