Kenya’s Supreme Court dismisses Raila Odinga’s petition, upholds Ruto’s presidential victory

Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Raila Odinga, seeking to overturn the victory of William Ruto in the recent presidential election in the country. The Supreme Court of Kenya upheld the victory of Ruto, clearing him to be sworn-in next week in line with the country’s constitution.

A seven-judge bench unanimously agreed that Ruto met the constitutional threshold to be declared Kenyan fifth president. The judgment ended the one week-long legal battle over the result of the August 9, presidential election.

Four of the seven commissioners in Kenya’s electoral commission had rejected the presidential result even before announcement by the chairman of the electoral commission.

Odinga has made an allegation that a team working for Ruto hacked into the commission’s system and replaced genuine pictures of polling station result forms with fake ones increasing Ruto’s share.

Counsel to Odinga, Philip Murgor, had declared that “The evidence that has been presented by the petitioner shows a well-orchestrated and fraudulent scheme that was executed with military precision.”