IEBC Gazzettes President Uhuru, Ruto as 2017 Election Winners

The electoral commission has gazetted President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto as winners of the 2017 presidential election held on Tuesday.

In a gazette notice published Friday, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said Uhuru, Ruto were duly elected as President and Deputy President after fulfilling the threshold set under Article 138 (4) of the Constitution.

The law requires that for a candidate to be declared the winner of presidential election, he must garner half the number of votes cast countrywide (50 percent plus one vote) and at least 25 per cent of the vote in more than half the 47 counties.

Kenyatta marshaled 8,203,290 votes to National Super Alliance’s (NASA) candidate Raila Odinga’s 6,762,224 and surpassed the 25 per cent requirement in 35 counties compared to Odinga’s 29.

In declaring the winner Chebukati said 15,073,662 voters turned out to cast their ballots, out of the 19,611,423 registered voters, a 78.91 per cent turnout.

“I want to thank the people of this great and wonderful Republic of Kenya for the confidence that they have shown in me and my administration. Ours is a pledge to continue with the work that we have started and dedicate ourselves to serving our nation even more,” Uhuru said at the Bomas of Kenya, IEBC’s National Tallying Center after he was declared the winner.

“It’s been a long wait for the last couple of days but we were determined that we would be patient and wait for results as have now been declared,” he said.

“I extend a hand of friendship, partnership and cooperation knowing well that this country needs all of us to succeed and Kenyans want us to succeed,” he said.