Odinga (left) challenged the declaration of Kenyatta as the winner of the presidential election by the Board. The Supreme Court annulled the election based on the petition
Kenya’s Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the election board for failing to verify official results of last month’s presidential election before announcing them but stopped short of saying there was rigging.
The court was offering detailed ruling as to why it annulled the Aug. 8 election and ordered fresh presidential vote within 60 days.
The Sept. 1 decision was the first of its kind in Africa.
Election board officials had said incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won the contest by 1.4 million votes.
But opposition leader Raila Odinga rejected the result and challenged it in Supreme Court, saying
previous two elections were stolen from him.
Kenya has the region’s richest economy and is a key Western ally in a region often shaken by violence.
Its status as diplomatic, trade and security hub for East Africa means the court’s ruling and the fresh election currently scheduled for Oct. 17 are being closely watched for any sign of instability or violence.
On Monday, French technology company supporting the election said it would be nearly impossible to be ready for that date.
The court on Sept. 1 identified some procedural problems in a brief ruling but the key finding against the election board on Wednesday was that officials had announced results before verifying them.
(Reuters/NAN)