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Kenya: Supreme Court upholds Uhuru Kenyatta victory; Raila Odinga concedes defeat
Kenyan President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta
(Reuters) – The Supreme Court of Kenya has upheld Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential election victory, Saturday and his defeated rival, Raila Odinga has accepted the ruling, and thus conceded defeat.
The decision cleared the way for Kenyatta, to take the top job in Kenya – east Africa’s biggest economy. Shortly after the supreme court ruling, Mr. Odinga delivered a televised statement accepting the court’s unanimous decision.
“The court has now spoken,” Odinga said. “I wish the president-elect, honorable Uhuru Kenyatta, and his team well.”
During a 10-minute session to read the ruling, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga said the six-member court had reached the unanimous decision that Kenyatta and his running mate for deputy president, William Ruto, had been validly elected.
“It is now for the Kenyan people, their leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media to discharge their duty, to ensure that the unity, peace, sovereignty and prosperity of the nation is preserved,” he said.
After a week of hearings, he said the court ruled that the March 4 vote was conducted in a free, fair and credible manner.
Kenyatta, in a televised address, thanked the court for its work and also Odinga for wishing him well. The president-elect promised his government would “work with and serve all Kenyans without any discrimination whatsoever.”
