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Kenya's Supreme Court declares presidential vote invalid

Friday, September 01, 2017 - 02:08

Kenya's Supreme Court has nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta's election win, citing ''irregularities,'' and ordered a new poll within 60 days after last month's voting was followed by protests and sporadic violence that killed at least 28 people. Mia Womersley reports.

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Jubilant scenes on the streets of Kenya as the country's Supreme Court declared the outcome of the presidential election invalid. In August Uhuru Kenyatta won the race by 1.4 million votes. But opposition leader Raila Odinga filed a petition to the court claiming that results from more than a third of polling stations were fatally flawed. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KENYA'S CHIEF JUSTICE, DAVID MALAGA, SAYING: "The declaration is hereby issued that the presidential election held on the 8th of August 2017 was not conducted in accordance to the constitution and applicable law rendering the declared results invalid, null and void." Odinga's success is the first of its kind in Kenya. And a new poll will now have to be held within 60 days. The decision was hailed by the man himself. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, RAILA ODINGA, SAYING: "This, indeed, is a very historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa." East Africa's biggest economy has a history of disputed elections. Odinga has contested the last three polls and lost each time. A row over the 2007 result was followed by weeks of ethnic bloodshed and 1,200 people were killed. This time, protests and sporadic violence killed at least 28 after Kenyatta was annoucned as the victor. Odinga's team focused on proving that the process for tallying and transmitting results was flawed - rather than proving how much of the vote was rigged. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, RAILA ODINGA, SAYING: "We have no faith at all in the electoral commission as currently constituted. They have committed criminal acts, most of them actually belong in jail." In Friday's (September 1) ruling, the Supreme Court said the electoral board had committed "irregularities and illegalities" during the vote. The announcement sent shares plummeting on the Nairobi bourse and prompted the authorities to suspend trading for half an hour.