Kenyan top court annuls poll result

NAIROBI: Kenya’s Supreme Court on Friday nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta’s election win last month as unconstitutional and called for new elections within 60 days, shocking a country that had been braced for further protests by opposition supporters.

No presidential election in the East African economic hub has ever been nullified. Opposition members danced in the streets, marvelling at the setback for Kenyatta, the son of the country’s first president, in the long rivalry between Kenya’s leading political families.

“It’s a very historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension the people of Africa,” said opposition candidate Raila Odinga, who had challenged the vote. “For the first time in the history of African democratisation, a ruling has been made by a court nullifying irregular election of a president. This is a precedent-setting ruling.” The six-judge bench ruled 4-2 in favour of the petition filed by Odinga. He claimed the electronic voting results were hacked into and manipulated in favour of Kenyatta, who had won a second term with 54 percent of the vote.

“A declaration is hereby issued that the presidential election held on August 8 was not conducted in accordance to the constitution and applicable law, rendering the results invalid, null and void,” Chief Justice David Maraga said. The court did not place blame on Kenyatta or his party. It said the election commission “committed illegalities and irregularities ... in the transmission of results.”