'It is Hard to Rig an Election in Kenya': DP Ruto Says 2007 Election was Not Rigged

Deputy President William Ruto says he does not believe the 2007 presidential election was rigged as it is generally claimed.

Ruto, who was among the ODM leaders who rejected the results of the 2007 presidential election, said ODM did not verify rigging claims.

ODM and its presidential candidate Raila Odinga refused to concede defeat after Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the contest by the electoral commission.

“We didn’t get to a point where we tested what we were saying against what was announced. If we had gone to an election petition as NASA did in 2017, we would have not proved the elections were rigged,” the DP said.

Ruto insisted that Jubilee won both the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections fair and square, adding that it is hard to rig an election in Kenya and get away with it.
 
“From where I sit, it is not easy to rig an election and get away with it. Any election that is rigged, people go to court and they overturn them. The best way to know whether an election was rigged is to subject it to due process,” said Ruto.

He also took a dig at ODM leader Raila Odinga and dismissed as a fallacy, the notion that elections are stolen and not won.

“There is a narrative that is being weaved that elections are not won but they are stolen. These are people who cannot leave with the reality that it is possible to lose an election. You have heard them talk about winning the elections but their win was stolen because they didn’t have the system and deep state,” Ruto said.