By Spy Uganda
The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga has spoken after the Supreme Court judgment which upheld President-elect William Ruto’s win.
In a statement posted on his social media pages, Raila said though he disagrees with the Supreme Court verdict, he will respect it.
The Azimio leader noted the judgment did not mark the end of the Azimio movement but, on the contrary, meant that they would double their efforts to transform the country’s democracy.
Raila, in his statement, also wondered how the seven-judge bench found against them on all nine grounds and occasions resulted in “unduly exaggerated to refute our language”.
“Our lawyers preferred irrefutable evidence, and the facts were on our side. Unfortunately, the judges saw it other wise,” he said.
Raila also thanked his supporters, adding he will communicate with them about his plans to continue with his struggle for transparency, accountability and democracy.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati, on August 15, 2022, declared William Ruto the winner after garnering 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 per cent of the total votes cast and he achieved the minimum number of 39 counties at 25%.
His main rival Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition party got 6,942,930 votes representing 48 per cent of the votes cast.
While delivering the abridged version of the judgement, Chief Justice Martha Koome said the petitioners failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was electoral malfeasance to warrant annulment.
“It is our finding that the declared President-Elect attained 50% +1 of all the votes cast in accordance with article 138.4 of the constitution,” she ruled.
The apex court also dismissed all of the nine petitions that had been presented before it to show the need to annul the election of President-Elect Ruto.
According to the Constitution, President-Elect Ruto is set to be sworn in next week Tuesday.
“The President-elect shall be sworn in on the first Tuesday following the fourteenth day after the date of the declaration of the result of the presidential election if no petition has been filed under Article 140; or The seventh day following the date on which the court renders a decision declaring the election to be valid, if any petition has been filed under Article 140.”
