William Ruto declared narrow winner of Kenya presidential election

Victory for deputy leader who sold himself to voters as a ‘hustler’ against longstanding political dynasties

William Ruto has been declared the narrow winner of Kenya’ presidential election over five-time contender Raila Odinga.

Ruto received 50.49% of the vote, the chairman said, while Odinga received 48.85%.

It is a triumph for the current deputy president, who shook up politics by appealing to struggling Kenyans on economic terms and not on traditional ethnic ones.

But chaos emerged just before the declaration when the electoral commission’s vice chairman and three other commissioners told journalists they could not support the “opaque nature” of the final phase.

“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced,” vice chair Juliana Cherera said.

At the declaration venue, police tried to impose calm amid the shouting.

The sudden split in the commission came minutes after Mr Odinga’s chief agent said they could not verify the results and made allegations of “electoral offences” without giving details or evidence.

Mr Odinga did not go to the venue for the declaration.

Kenyans must now wait to see whether Mr Odinga will again go to court to contest the results in a country crucial to regional stability. It is likely to be the final attempt for the 77-year-old, who was backed by outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mr Ruto, 55, had told voters that the election was between “hustlers” like him from modest backgrounds and the “dynasties” of Kenyatta and Odinga, whose fathers were the country’s first president and vice president.

Mr Odinga has sought the presidency for a quarter of a century.

Mr Ruto in his acceptance speech thanked Mr Odinga and emphasised an election that focused on issues and not ethnic divisions, saying that “gratitude goes to millions of Kenyanswho refused to be boxed into tribal cocoons”.

Turnout in the election dropped to 65%, reflecting the weariness of Kenyans seeing the same longtime political figures on the ballot and frustration with poor economic conditions in East Africa’s economic hub. At the top, Kenyan politics are often marked less by ideological platforms than by alliances that create a path to power and the wealth that can come with it.

Social media was not blocked during the election. Kenya is seen as a relatively democratic and stable country in a region where longtime leaders such as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are widely accused of overseeing votes that are not free and fair.