Israeli President Isaac Herzog Congratulates Ruto on Winning Presidential Election

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has sent a congratulatory message to president-elect William Ruto on his victory in the August 9th presidential election.

The congratulatory message from President Herzog was presented to Ruto at the deputy president’s official residence in Nairobi by Israel’s ambassador to Kenya Michael Lotem on Monday.

“We look forward to growing our relationship with the people of Israel and working together on key areas such as universal healthcare, agriculture and water provision. We appreciate Israel's support in these fields,” Ruto said.

IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati declared Ruto the winner of the presidential contest after garnering 7,176,141, representing 50.49 percent of the total votes.

Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition’s Raila Odinga came in second with 6,942,930 votes (48.85 percent), followed by Roots Party candidate George Wajackoyah (61,969 votes) and David Mwaure (31,987 votes).

On Monday, Odinga filed a petition challenging the results of the presidential election at the Supreme Court which has 14 days to hear the petition and deliver a verdict.

Odinga and Azimio coalition maintain they have sufficient evidence in the petition to prove misconduct by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

"We have a strong petition and we're hopeful that it will go through. We're asking the court to decide if the constitution was followed in declaring the presidential results. If it was not within the constitution, then it is null and void," one of Odinga’s attorneys Daniel Maanzo told CNN on Monday.