Kenya’s Odinga files petition at Supreme Court to challenge presidential election results

NAIROBI, Aug. 22 — Kenya’s veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga on Monday filed a petition at the country’s Supreme Court to challenge the results of the Aug. 9 presidential election where his closest rival and sitting Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner by the head of the country’s electoral body.
Odinga’s legal team said they had solid evidence pointing at malpractices that denied Odinga victory during the hotly contested presidential race that attracted four aspirants.
The 77-year-old doyen of opposition politics who was making his fifth stab at the presidency under the Azimio La Umoja (Resolution for Unity) coalition of 26 political parties garnered 6.94 million or 48.85 percent of the 14.1 million votes cast, second after Ruto who vied for presidency under Kenya Kwanza (Kenya First) alliance of 14 political parties and garnered 7.17 million or 50.49 percent of votes cast, according to the tally announced last week by Wafula Chebukati, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).  (Xinhua)