• A man looks for names on voting registers posted outside Kilimani Primary School polling station in Nairobi, Kenya. Getty
    A man looks for names on voting registers posted outside Kilimani Primary School polling station in Nairobi, Kenya. Getty
  • Voters queue while waiting for polls to open during Kenya's general election in the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi. AFP
    Voters queue while waiting for polls to open during Kenya's general election in the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi. AFP
  • Voters check their names on an electoral roll in Nairobi. AFP
    Voters check their names on an electoral roll in Nairobi. AFP
  • An election official holds up a ballot box to show that it is empty before polls open in Kibera. AFP
    An election official holds up a ballot box to show that it is empty before polls open in Kibera. AFP
  • Maasai voters queue to take part in Kenya's general election in Kajiado. AFP
    Maasai voters queue to take part in Kenya's general election in Kajiado. AFP
  • Kenya's Deputy President and presidential candidate of the Kenya First political party coalition William Ruto, centre, casts his ballot at a polling station in Sugoi, near Eldoret. AFP
    Kenya's Deputy President and presidential candidate of the Kenya First political party coalition William Ruto, centre, casts his ballot at a polling station in Sugoi, near Eldoret. AFP
  • A Maasai man casts his ballot during Kenya's general election in Kajiado. AFP
    A Maasai man casts his ballot during Kenya's general election in Kajiado. AFP
  • People line up to vote at the Oltepesi Primary School in Nairobi. AP
    People line up to vote at the Oltepesi Primary School in Nairobi. AP
  • A voter takes part in the general election at Kosachei Primary School. Reuters
    A voter takes part in the general election at Kosachei Primary School. Reuters
  • People line up to cast their vote at Kosachei Primary School. Reuters
    People line up to cast their vote at Kosachei Primary School. Reuters
  • An election official marks the hand of a voter at the Kibera primary school in Nairobi. AP
    An election official marks the hand of a voter at the Kibera primary school in Nairobi. AP
  • People line up to vote at the Kibera primary school in Nairobi. AP
    People line up to vote at the Kibera primary school in Nairobi. AP
  • A voter verifies his ballot papers at the Old Kibera Primary School polling station in Kibera. AFP
    A voter verifies his ballot papers at the Old Kibera Primary School polling station in Kibera. AFP
  • People look for their names on voting registers posted outside Kibera Primary School in Nairobi. Getty
    People look for their names on voting registers posted outside Kibera Primary School in Nairobi. Getty
  • Men watch live news aired on a public projector on the eve of the elections in the centre of Kibera informal settlement. Getty
    Men watch live news aired on a public projector on the eve of the elections in the centre of Kibera informal settlement. Getty

William Ruto declared winner of tight Kenya election race


  • English
  • Arabic

Kenya’s electoral commission chairman has declared Deputy President William Ruto the winner of the close presidential election over five-time contender Raila Odinga, a triumph for the man who shook up politics by appealing to struggling Kenyans on economic terms and not traditional ethnic ones.

But chaos broke out shortly before the declaration when the electoral commission’s vice chairwoman and three other commissioners told journalists they could not support the “opaque nature” of the final phase.

“We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced,” Juliana Cherera said. At the declaration venue, police moved in to impose calm amid shouting and shoving.

The sudden split in the commission came minutes after Mr Odinga’s chief agent said they could not verify the results and made allegations of “electoral offences”, without giving details or evidence. Mr Odinga did not come to the venue for the declaration.

Diplomats were whisked out of the counting hall where the chairman of the electoral commission was preparing to announce the results.

Kenya has a history of post-poll violence and slow progress by the electoral commission in tallying last Tuesday's vote has fed fears the election will be disputed, leading to bloody scenes like those that followed presidential polls in 2007 and 2017.

But Mr Ruto struck a conciliatory tone in his acceptance speech.

"Those people that worked against us, I want to tell them that they should not fear, our country is at a stage where we need all hands on deck to move forward," he told supporters, Kenyan paper The Star reported.

AFP and Reuters contributed to this report

Countries recognising Palestine

France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff

Updated: June 20, 2023, 8:52 AM