As his vanquished competitor Raila Odinga readied a legal appeal to reverse his defeat in the election on August 9, Kenya’s newly elected president William Ruto warned on Wednesday that there was no time to spare in addressing an economic crisis.
After a fiercely contested campaign for the presidency of the richest nation in East Africa, Ruto was declared president-elect on Monday by the head of Kenya’s election commission. However, four of the seven electoral commissioners have contested the results.
Odinga has stated that he will challenge the ruling in court and has called it a “travesty.” View More
Despite this, Ruto declared that he was moving forward with the creation of an administration, promising to include every Kenyan, regardless of their political or ethnic allegiance.
“I genuinely want us to understand how high Kenyans’ aspirations are. We cannot afford to squander time “After visiting elected officials from his alliance at his official house, Ruto, who is currently the vice president, made the statement.
The 55-year-old remarked, “If there will be judicial processes, we will engage because we adhere to the rule of law,” without specifically addressing Odinga’s intention to contest his victory.
The election was viewed as a stability test for a close Western ally that houses regional offices of global corporations like Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.O). Nairobi is home to the United Nations Environment Programme’s main office.
In a separate meeting in the nation’s capital, elected officials from Odinga’s alliance discussed how to proceed in what may turn out to be a bitter legal dispute.
Although Odinga was absent from the occasion, his running mate, former justice minister Martha Karua, declared: “Ours is victory postponed.”
“We are optimistic that we shall overcome the chicanery and restore our win in due course,” Odinga later tweeted.
Former prime minister Odinga, 77, who was running for president for the fifth time, has until Monday to submit a petition to the Supreme Court.
The four commissioners who dissented denied that the tallying procedure was opaque, according to Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the election commission.
He said in a statement that they had demanded that he “alter the results to force an election re-run” before the formal announcement.
According to Chebukati, “this amounts to subverting the constitution and the sovereign will of the people of Kenya.”
The primary spokesperson for the dissidents, commission vice-chairwoman Juliana Cherera, was contacted by Reuters but chose not to comment.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court declared that it was prepared for any petition and was standing by to handle it.
“NO MONEY,”
The rise in food and gasoline costs brought on by the Ukraine conflict, mounting unemployment, and the pile of debt accrued during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ten years in government will all need to be addressed by Kenyatta’s successor.
Borrowing, according to Kenyatta, who supported Odinga and criticised his deputy for being unreliable, helped build infrastructure and accelerate economy. Over the last ten years, the size of the economy has doubled.
Critics claim that while concentrating on roads and trains, the government neglected to help many vulnerable individuals.
Ruto’s bid to become Kenya’s fifth president focuses on helping low-income “hustlers,” but observers of public policy believe he lacks the fiscal space to provide immediate relief.
Robert Shaw, a freelance economic policy analyst, observed, “There isn’t the money.” “The government hardly has enough revenue to pay employees and already has a massive internal debt.”
Aly-Khan Satchu, the CEO of financial adviser Rich Management, argued in favour of giving priority to basic necessities because excessive debt limits the potential for any assistance.
“If I had to choose between everything else and the devil, I would keep the unga (flour) subsidy.”
$1 is equal to 119.4000 Kenyan shillings.
writing by James Macharia Chege and Aaron Ross; editing by Catherine Evans and Tomasz Janowski; additional reporting by Ayenat Mersie; reporting by George Obulutsa;