Kenyan opposition leader files petition to overturn results of Aug. 9 presidential election

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – A former Kenyan prime minister on Monday filed a legal challenge at the nation’s Supreme Court to the declared winner of the Aug. 9 presidential election.

Challenging Deputy President William Ruto's victory, opposition leader Raila Odinga, 77, was accompanied at the court by Martha Karua, his running mate, and other leaders from his Azimio-One Kenya Coalition political party.

Hundreds of his supporters camped outside the Milimani law courts in the capital Nairobi to witness a truckload of evidence for the petition being unpacked and submitted, citing discrepancies between the result the turnout and 27 constituencies where ballots have not been counted.

The head of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the country’s electoral body, declared Ruto the country's fifth president on last Monday, Aug. 15, but four out of seven commissioners dissented.

Five-time presidential candidate Odinga on Tuesday rejected the declared election results, calling them "flawed" and a setback to democracy in the East African country.

Announcing the results, election commission head Wafula Chebukati said Ruto won nearly 7.18 million votes, 50.49% of the total, while Odinga, his primary opponent, had 48.85%, or over 6.94 million votes.