Uhuru Kenyatta retains his seat as president of Kenya after three days of voting came to an end on Thursday. Kenyatta won 54.27% of the vote against his nearest rival Raila Odinga’s 44.74, the electoral commission reported. Kenyatta had a strong lead in the polls throughout the election, but his image was tainted by opposition claims of rigging and four deaths.
Protesters claim fraud at polls in Kenya presidential election
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta (L), flanked by his wife Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta (2-L), speaks after the Electoral Commission's official announcement of the election results on August 11, 2017 at the Bomas of Kenya in Langata, Nairobi. /AFP Photo
Protests have broken out in Kenya after opposition leader Raila Odinga's rejected an early tally which put incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta ahead in the presidential race.
Odinga, who claimed elections in 2007 and 2013 were stolen from him, said that the electoral commission’s (IEBC) computers were hacked and the vote rigged, an allegation that fueled uncertainty in what was already a tight race.
The National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate Raila Odinga arrives at Bomas National Tallying Centre on August 11, 2017 in Nairobi, ahead of Electoral and Boundaries Commission's announcement on the General Elections results. /AFP Photo
"This is an attack on our democracy. The 2017 general election was a fraud," he said.
IEBC chief Ezra Chiloba said the electronic voting system, seen as key to avoiding fraud, was not compromised.
"Our election management system is secure. There was no external or internal interference to the system at any point before, during or after the voting," he said at a press conference.
Odinga's claims sparked isolated protests in his strongholds in several Nairobi slums and the western city of Kisumu on Wednesday.
Supporters of incumbent Kenyan Pesident Uhuru Kenyatta wait for the announcement of the presidential election's final results, at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi, on August 11, 2017. /AFP Photo
Clashes with protesters already saw four people killed before the polls closed, reigniting memories of post-election violence in 2007 that saw 1,100 people killed.
International community calls for peace in Kenya
Observers from the African Union, the Commonwealth and the European Union have called for calm in Kenya after violence erupted following the presidential election which saw incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta retain his seat.
Head of the EU Parliament Delegation, David McAllister, urged candidates who lost in the polls to concede defeat and use legal means to pursue allegations of electoral malpractice.
The EU had deployed over 130 observers to different parts of the country to monitor the voting, counting and tallying of results.
