The Supreme Court Monday afternoon upheld the election of William Samoei Ruto as Kenya’s fifth president, summing up the meteoric rise of a man who defied his boss and the sitting administration to be the country’s youngest Head of State.
The Chief Justice Martha Koome-led Bench unanimously threw out a petition by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition candidate Raila Odinga, who argued the declaration of Dr Ruto was null and void.
Justice Koome said that the court will issue a summary, and then give the full judgment after 21 days.
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Mahakama ya Upeo nchini Kenya inatarajiwa kutoa uamuzi siku ya Jumatatu kuamua kuhusu masuala yaliyoibuliwa na walalamishi kuhusu uadilifu wa uchaguzi wa Agosti 9 na uhalali wa kumtangaza Naibu Rais William Ruto kuwa Rais mteule.
Iwapo wengi wa majaji watatupilia mbali malalamiko yalioibuliwa na Mgombea wa Urais kupitia Muungano wa Azimio One Kenya, Raila Odinga na kuunga mkono matokeo yaliyotangazwa na baraza la uchaguzi, Rais Mteule William Ruto basi ataapishwa Septemba 13 kuchukua nafasi ya Uhuru Kenyatta na kuwa Rais wa Tano wa Jamhuri ya Kenya .
Lakini iwapo watabatilisha ushindi wa William Ruto mamlaka zitakuwa na siku 60 kufanya uchaguzi mpya iwapo mahakama itatoa uamuzi unaomuunga mkono Odinga, ambaye tayari amepinga matokeo ya urais mara tatu katika maisha yake ya kisiasa ya muda mrefu na kuyataja matokeo ya kura ya hivi punde kuwa "upotovu".
Na Iwapo mahakama itakubali maombi ya Raila Odinga ya kutaka mwenyekiti wa Tume Huru ya Uchaguzi na Mipaka (IEBC) Wafula Chebukati afunguliwe mashtaka na kuzuiwa kuendesha uchaguzi wa marudio, itachukua muda mrefu kufanya uchaguzi mpya.
Tayari baadhi ya wakenya wameelezea kukosa imani na Tume ya IEBC kufuatia migawanyiko ya ndani, ambayo imeshuhudia kundi moja la makamishna wakikataa matokeo yaliyotangazwa na Mwenyekiti Wafula Chebukati .
Wiki iliyopita kundi la Muungano wa Azimio One Kenya pamoja na wanasheria wa Odinga waliwasilisha kesi wakidai kuwa mfumo wa uchaguzi Nchini kenya ulikubwa na dosari nyingi pamoja ya Uingiliwaji wa Teknolojia za Tume Huru ya Uchaguzi na Mipaka IEBC n na kubadilisha picha halisi za fomu za matokeo ya vituo vya kupigia kura na kuweka za uwongo, hivyo basi kuongeza mgao wa Ruto katika kura ya Agosti 9.
Aidha ombi la Odinga pia lilidai kuwa matokeo ya Urais ni batili kwa sababu yalitangazwa na mwenyekiti badala ya tume nzima huku Odinga akitaka mwenyekiti wa IEBC abadilishwe.
Kwa upande wa Mawakili wa IEBC na William Ruto walimshutumu Odinga kwa kughushi kumbukumbu za kompyuta ili kuleta mgogoro wa kikatiba na kulazimisha makubaliano ya kugawana mamlaka.
Mwenyekiti wa tume ya uchaguzi amesema uchaguzi ulikuwa "huru, haki na wa kuaminika" katika majibu yake ya mahakama huku Makamishna wanne wapinzani wakiwasilisha majibu ya kuibua wasiwasi kuhusu mchakato wa kujumlisha kura na mienendo ya mwenyekiti.
Baada ya kusoma maombi yaliowasilishwa, Mahakama ya Upeo ikiongozwa na Jaji Mkuu na Rais wa Mahakama ya Juu Martha Koome ilipunguza madai na kadhia nyingi katika kesi nane za kupinga matokeo ya uchaguzi wa urais wa Agosti 9 hadi masuala tisa ambayo matokeo yake yataamua iwapo Ushindi wa Ruto utaidhinishwa.
Baada ya kukamilika kwa mvutano wa mawakili, macho yote sasa yanawaangazia majaji hao kutoa uamuzi ambao utaamua mustakabali wa taifa la Kenya.
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Kenya's Top Court To Rule On Disputed Presidential Election
Kenya's Supreme Court will decide on Monday whether to uphold or nullify the result of last month's presidential election, a ruling anxiously awaited in a country scarred by previous bouts of poll-related violence.
The seven-member court will rule following three days of oral arguments last week by lawyers representing the two main candidates and rival camps of election commissioners.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, making his fifth presidential bid, says Deputy President William Ruto's narrow win was the product of massive fraud. Four out of seven election commissioners disowned the result announced by the commission chairman, saying the tallying had been opaque. read more
The Supreme Court made history in the last election in 2017 by annulling President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory over Odinga because of procedural irregularities.
Kenyatta prevailed in a re-run that Odinga boycotted.
About 100 people were killed in election-related clashes that year. This time, protests briefly broke out in several Odinga strongholds after the election commission chair declared Ruto the victor on Aug. 15, but Odinga urged supporters to stay peaceful and the streets have remained calm since.
Tempers have mainly flared online, where Odinga and Ruto's partisans have bombarded social media with often outlandish claims and counter-claims.
Source: VOA & Citizen Digital
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