Kenyan court orders new presidential polls

Nairobi: Kenya’s Supreme Court ordered a new presidential election within 60 days after cancelling the results of last month’s poll in a shock decision in favour of the opposition.

Joyous celebrations erupted outside the court and in opposition strongholds after the second term victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared “invalid, null and void”.

The decision came as a rare political victory for veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, 72, who hailed a “historic” ruling which he said was a first in Africa.

Chief Justice David Maraga said a majority decision by the panel of seven judges, with two dissenting, found that Kenyatta “was not validly elected”, rendering the result “invalid, null and void”.

Maraga said the election commission (IEBC) had “failed, neglected or refused to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the constitution”.

Kenyatta’s lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi criticised the court’s decision as “very political”, but said they would “live with the consequences”.

Thousands of Odinga supporters flooded the streets of Nairobi’s Kibera slum and his strongholds in the western city of Kisumu.

“This is justice for us the people of Kisumu.

“They (the police) came to beat and shoot at us when we protested the election results, but now the truth is out,” said Jackson Oduor in Kisumu.

“For the first time we have got justice.

“They have stolen the election for long,” said fishmonger Lynette Akello.

Kenya has a long history of disputed votes, election violence and a lack of faith in the judiciary’s independence.

The run-up to the Aug 8 election was marred by the murder of top IEBC IT official Chris Msando and opposition allegations that rigging was certain.

Indeed Odinga and his National Super Alliance cried foul shortly after counting began, claiming the system transmitting votes had been hacked, and that forms from polling stations that were meant to back up the electronic results were not being uploaded.

The Aug 11 declaration of Kenyatta’s victory with 54.27% of the vote – with not all the tallying forms in – sparked two days of demonstrations and riots in the slums of Nairobi and Kisumu, traditional opposition strongholds.

At least 21 people, including a baby and a nine-year-old girl, were killed, mostly by police.

It was the third time in a row that Odinga cried foul, having claimed he was cheated out of rightful victory after losing elections in 2007 and 2013.

However, protests remained isolated and did not reach the levels of the disputed 2007 election, which saw politically-motivated ethnic violence in which over 1,100 people were killed. — AFP