William Ruto has been declared winner of Kenya’s presidential election, beating closest rival Raila Odinga.
Ruto, Kenya’s deputy president, emerged victorious after polling 50.49 percent of the votes to defeat Odinga, who polled 48.85 percent of the votes, according to Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Kenya’s general election was held on August 9, 2022, with four candidates in the race to succeed Uhuru Kenyatta. The other candidates are George Wajackoyah of Roots Party and David Mwaure of Agano Party.
About 14 million votes were said to have been cast in the election, representing a turnout of 65 percent.
To win a presidential election in Kenya, a candidate needs more than half of all the votes cast across the country and at least 25 percent of the votes cast in a minimum of 24 counties.
Ruto joined politics in 1992 and was part of the youth wing of former president Daniel arap Moi’s Kanu Party. He was among the activists tasked with mobilising voters for the country’s first multi-party elections held in the same year.
After holding several ministerial positions, the 55-year-old was chosen as the running mate of Kenyatta in the 2013 presidential election.
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