Kenya election result: Raila Odinga and William Ruto in close race
There’s growing anticipation that the much-awaited results of last week’s Kenya presidential election will be known shortly.
Desks being used for the result verification process have been cleared and the national tallying center is being prepared for the declaration.
Deputy President William Ruto has a narrow lead over ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the latest count.
According to Kenyan law, the results must be announced by 16 August.
On Sunday, both Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto urged anxious Kenyans to be patient as they wait for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to determine which of them would be the country’s fifth president.
There have also been calls for peace from several leaders and bodies including the Catholic church which asked for “patience and civility” and urged the main candidates to show “restraint and statesmanship”.
Mr Ruto leads the official tally at 51% against Mr Odinga’s 48%, according to local media. Verified results from 39 of the 290 constituencies are yet to be declared.
Media organizations have also been releasing provisional tallies using official data from the 46,000 polling stations. They also show a tight race. About 14 million votes were cast – a turnout of 65%.
Agencies