Kenya: Tensions Awaiting Results Of The Presidential Election

Four days after the presidential election, Kenyans are still waiting to know the results of the ballot. But the longer the wait for the results, the more the impatience increases, as evidenced by this scene at the headquarters of the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Riot police had to intervene to put an end to the scuffles.

The electoral commission must collate the results from the more than 46,000 polling stations and then verify them. But its director himself admitted that the count of the results was not going “as fast” as expected.

Four candidates were in the running, but the election boils down to a duel between two favourites: Raila Odinga, a historic figure in Kenyan politics, who, according to partial official results, is slightly ahead of outgoing Vice-President William Ruto.

The final results must be announced by August 16 at the latest, as provided by law. If none of the candidates gathers more than 50% of the vote, Kenya will experience a rerun of the presidential election for the first time in its history.

In the meantime, all eyes are on the electoral commission, in the country where the results of all the presidential elections since 2002 have been disputed, sometimes violently.