Provisional results indicate a close contest for the Kenyan presidency between Vice President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
With more than ninety percent of results released from tens of thousands of small districts, local tallys of the raw data indicate the little distinction between the two.
Nonetheless, it may be several days before the official outcome is announced.
This vote follows a heated campaign characterized by discussions of the cost of living, unemployment, and corruption.
Voter participation is projected to be about 60%, significantly lower than the previous election’s rate of 80% five years earlier.
In several areas of the country, logistical delays and a malfunction of the identification kits marred an otherwise peaceful election day.
Baba v Hustler
The two presidential frontrunners are both seasoned politicians.
Mr. Odinga, 77, a long-serving opposition leader whose fans call him “Baba” (“father”), is running for president for the sixth time. Mr. Ruto, 55, who has sought to emphasize his closeness to ordinary Kenyans by referring to himself as a “hustler,” is making his maiden run for the presidency.
David Mwaure and George Wajackoya are two additional contestants in the campaign.
After a disagreement with Mr. Ruto, the departing president Uhuru Kenyatta is supporting Mr. Odinga, an adversary-turned-ally, to succeed him in office.
To win the first round of the presidential election, a contender must:
More than fifty percent of all votes were cast nationwide.
at least 25 percent of the votes were cast in at least 24 counties.
After the votes have been counted, local authorities photograph the final tally sheet and email the image to both the constituency and national tallying centers.
The media, political parties, and civil society organizations have compiled their tallies based on the final results reported by the over 40,000 polling locations.
But only the electoral commission, after confirming the physical and digital forms transmitted to the national tallying center, may announce the result of the presidential election.
It has seven days to report the outcome.
