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William Ruto Declared Winner of Kenya’s Razor-Thin Presidential Race

HeadlineAug 16, 2022

In Kenya, William Ruto has been declared winner of a highly contested presidential election. Kenya’s electoral commission says Ruto defeated former prime minister and opposition leader Raila Odinga by a narrow margin, getting just over 50% of votes. Ruto has been deputy president of Kenya since 2013. Ruto’s party, the Kenya First coalition, has also won a majority of seats in Kenya’s Senate. At least four Kenyan election commissioners said they did not support the results due to the “opaque nature” of the vote count as diplomats and international election officials were removed from the tallying hall right before Ruto’s victory was announced Monday. Ruto will serve as Kenya’s fifth president since its independence from Britain in 1963. He addressed the East African nation on Monday.

President-elect William Ruto: “There is no room for vengeance. There is no room for looking back. We are looking into the future.”

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