Kenya's Supreme Court Nullifies Presidential Election Results

Kenya's Supreme Court ruled to annul the results of the recent presidential election, which had led to the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta for a second consecutive term. The ruling, issued on Friday, September 1, also mandates that a new presidential election must be held within 60 days. According to an Associated Press report on reactions to the Supreme Court's decision, Uhuru Kenyatta, despite expressing his 'personal opposition,' stated that he would abide by the court's ruling. In a televised speech, he criticized the judges of the Supreme Court, claiming that their decision was 'against the will and desire of the people.' Following the announcement of the presidential election results on August 12, Kenya witnessed widespread unrest that resulted in the deaths of dozens. Opposition forces in Kenya claim that the death toll from these protests is around 100. The opposition, led by Raila Odinga, a presidential candidate, accused the government of widespread and organized fraud and called for the annulment of the election. Historically, no presidential election results in Kenya had been annulled, even during the 2007 elections, which led to a major political crisis and the deaths of over a thousand people. The Associated Press noted that following the Supreme Court's ruling, opposition forces, surprised by Uhuru Kenyatta's retreat, took to the streets to celebrate. Raila Odinga described the event as 'a historic day for the people of Kenya and for all Africans.' For the first time in the history of democratization in Africa, a court annulled a presidential election filled with flaws and issues, establishing a precedent. Of the six judges on Kenya's Supreme Court, four voted in favor of Raila Odinga's petition, while two voted against it. Odinga was also a main candidate in the 2007 and 2013 presidential elections. In the annulled election, he secured 44% of the votes compared to Uhuru Kenyatta's 54%.