Odinga takes his defeat like a man
KENYA ’ s Supreme Court has upheld Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential election victory — and his defeated rival quickly accepted yesterday’s ruling, dousing fears of a repeat of the tribal blood-letting that blighted the country’s last vote.
The decision cleared the way for Kenya ’ s richest man to take the top job in East Africa’s biggest economy, but left foreign powers with the headache of dealing with a leader who faces charges in The Hague of committing crimes against humanity.
After the ruling, police fired shots in the air and teargas at hundreds of stone-throwing youths in the western city of Kisumu, a stronghold of defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga, who had challenged Kenyatta ’ s win.
But then, in a nationally televised statement, Odinga accepted the court’s unanimous decision.
“The court has now spoken,” Odinga told a news conference. “I wish the president-elect, honourable Uhuru Kenyatta, and his team, well.”
Odinga had called for calm ahead of the judgment, which came just over five years after another ballot dispute triggered violence in which more than 1 200 people died.
“It is the decision of the court that the third and fourth respondents were validly elected,” Chief Justice Willy Mutunga said in court, referring to Kenyatta and his running mate for deputy president, William Ruto.
“It is now for the Kenyan people,
‘ The court has now spoken. I wish the president-elect, honourable Uhuru Kenyatta, and his team well ’
their leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media to discharge [their duty], to ensure that the unity, peace and prosperity of the nation is preserved,” he added.
Peaceful voting in this year’s election, and the fact that the dispute was fought in court and not by machete-wielding gangs, has already helped repair Kenya’s image as a safe haven for investors and tourists.
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Kenyatta comfortably beat Odinga in votes won, but only narrowly avoided a run-off in the presidential race by edging above the 50% threshold needed.
Western donors are watching the fate of a regional trade partner and a country they see as vital to stability in a volatile area. However, they said that a Kenyatta win would complicate relations.
Kenya ’ s new president faces charges in the International Criminal Court of crimes helping incite the violence after the 2007 vote.
Kenyatta denies the charges and has promised to cooperate with the court to clear his name. — Reuters