Raila and Karua React as Supreme Court Upholds Ruto’s Victory

Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua have reacted to the Supreme Court ruling that upheld President-elect William Ruto’s victory.

Odinga and Karua said while they respect the opinion of the apex court, they disagree with the findings.

"We have taken note of the decision of the Supreme Court on the Presidential election held on August 9th, 2022. We have always stood for the rule of law and the constitution. In this regard, we respect the opinion of the court although we vehemently disagree with their decision today," Raila said.

Odinga, who gave his fifth shot at the presidency, insisted that the August 9th presidential election was not credible.

"Our lawyers proffered irrefutable evidence and the facts were on our side, unfortunately, the judges saw it otherwise. We find it incredible that the judges found against us on all nine (9) grounds and occasions resulted in unduly exaggerated language to refute our claims," he added.

He thanked his supporters and promised to communicate in the near future “on our plans to continue our struggle for transparency, accountability and democracy.’

"This judgement is by no means the end of our movement, in fact, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to transform this country into a prosperous democracy where each and every Kenyan can find their full belonging," he said.

In a tweet posted just moments after the court's decision, Ms Karua said: “The court has spoken. I respect but disagree with the findings.”

On Monday, the seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Ruto was validly elected as president, paving the way for his swearing-in on September 13th.

"This is a unanimous decision of the court and we make the following orders; The presidential election petition number E005 of 2022 as consolidated with presidential election petition numbers E001, 2, 3,4,7 and 8 of 2022 are hereby dismissed," Chief Justice Martha Koome read the ruling.

"As a consequence, we declare the election of the first respondent as President-elect to be valid under Article 143 of the Constitution. This being a matter cutting across the public interest, we order that each party bear their own cost. It is so ordered."