ASSESSMENTS

Amid Fraud Allegations, Kenya's Presidential Election Risks Ending in Violence

Aug 16, 2022 | 21:40 GMT

A supporter of Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga gestures past a fire during a protest in Nairobi on Aug. 15, 2022, after William Ruto was declared the winner of the country's recent presidential race.

A supporter of Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga gestures past a fire during a protest in Nairobi on Aug. 15, 2022, after William Ruto was declared the winner of Kenya's presidential race.

(GORDWIN ODHIAMBO/AFP via Getty Images)

In Kenya, the losing presidential candidate's decision to challenge the results of the Aug. 9 election will prolong the country's political uncertainty, fuel concerns over unrest and potentially undermine the next president's policy priorities. On Aug. 15, the chairman of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati, declared William Ruto the winner of the 2022 presidential election, beating out five-time presidential aspirant and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the nation's top post. But Odinga and a group of IEBC commissioners have since rejected the result -- fueling fears that what had been one of Kenya's most peaceful ballots could again devolve into mass violence and unrest. During an Aug. 16 press conference, seven IEBC commissioners said they dissented from Chebukati's announcement, claiming the chairman's tallies were ''a mathematical absurdity.'' Shortly thereafter, Odinga also called the election results ''null and void'' and said the alleged irregularities cited by...

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