William Ruto wins tight Kenyan presidential election

Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto has been declared the winner of a close election during a chaotic announcement ceremony that saw four of the seven members of the electoral commission refuse to back the vote.

Ruto received 50.49% of the vote while opponent Raila Odinga received 48.85%.

Ruto's victory was confirmed by Kenya’s electoral commission chairman but just before the announcement four of the seven members of the commission said they could not support the “opaque nature” of the final phase of the process and refused to back the count.

“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced,” vice chair Juliana Cherera said, without giving details.

At the declaration venue, police surged to impose calm amid shouting and scuffles before electoral commission chair Wafula Chebukati announced the official results - and said two commissioners still there had been injured.

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

Now Kenyans wait to see whether Odinga will again go to court to contest the results of Tuesday’s peaceful election in a country crucial to regional stability.

This was Odinga's fifth attempt at a run for the presidency and will likely be his last.

The 77-year-old longtime opposition figure was backed this time by former rival and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, who fell out with his deputy, Ruto, years ago.

Odinga's spokesman Makau Mutua said any announcement by the chair of the electoral commission would be invalid because he did not have the support of enough of its members.

Ruto, despite being sidelined by the president, fought back and told voters that the election was between “hustlers” like him from modest backgrounds and the “dynasties” of Kenyatta and Odinga, whose fathers were Kenya’s first president and vice president. Odinga has sought the presidency for a quarter-century.

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

He portrayed himself as the brash outsider and played up his chicken-selling childhood despite his current post and wealth.

Although Kenya is seen as a relatively stable democracy when compared to some of its neighbours it has still been plagued by accusations of voter fraud in recent elections.

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As Kenyans waited for almost a week for official results, both Odinga and Ruto appealed for peace, echoing calls by police, civil society groups and religious leaders in a country where past elections have been marked by political violence.

After the 2007 vote, more than 1,000 people were killed after Odinga claimed victory had been stolen from him in an election widely seen as compromised.

Ruto, then Odinga’s ally, was indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity for his role in the violence, but the case was terminated amid allegations of witness intimidation.

After the 2017 election results were overturned by the high court for irregularities, a first in Africa, Odinga boycotted the fresh vote that Kenyatta won and declared himself the “people’s president” in a ceremony that led to accusations of treason.

Following unrest in which dozens were killed, Odinga and Kenyatta publicly shook hands to establish calm.

Both candidates vowed to help Kenya’s poor.

Odinga promised government cash handouts to families under the poverty line, and Ruto promised a massive increase in government spending to increase job opportunities in a country where more than a third of young Kenyans are unemployed.