Kenyans held their breath Monday as they waited for a Supreme Court ruling on the disputed presidential election results, with many fearing a period of uncertainty could begin if the ballot was cancelled.
"
Judgment day
", announced the front page of the daily newspaper The Standard, while the free newspaper The People Daily was preparing for the "
moment of truth
".
On August 16, incumbent Vice President William Ruto was declared the winner of one of the tightest elections in Kenya's history, with around 233,000 votes ahead (50.49% against 48.85%) over Raila. Odinga, the historic opposition figure supported this year by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his powerful party.
Raila Odinga cried fraud and seized the Supreme Court, claiming to have "
enough evidence
" of his victory.
The reading by each of the seven judges of their respective decisions and motivations, scheduled to last several hours, must begin at 12 p.m. (09 a.m. GMT).
Read alsoIn Kenya, Raila Odinga rejects the result of the presidential election
Veteran of politics (77 years old), Raila Odinga - who contested the results of the last three presidential elections - had obtained in 2017 the cancellation of the election by the Supreme Court, a first in Africa.
He said he made this new legal battle "
a fight for democracy and good governance
" against "
corruption cartels
".
William Ruto meanwhile accused his opponent of trying to get "
a second chance with a new election forced by justice
".
The decision of the Supreme Court, known for its independence, is eagerly awaited.
If Kenya is seen as an economic locomotive and a haven of stability in a tormented East Africa, this country has in the past experienced unrest during electoral periods - the deadliest, in 2007, having killed more than 1,100 people.
“
Time and money wasted
”
Voting took place peacefully on August 9, but the proclamation of the results the following week was chaotic.
Shortly before this announcement, four of the seven members of the electoral commission (IEBC) had dissociated themselves from the results, accusing their leader Wafula Chebukati of having engaged in an “
opaque
” process.
The proclamation of Mr. Ruto's election then sparked scuffles in strongholds of Mr. Odinga's supporters.
Many Kenyans fear that an invalidation of the results - synonymous with a new electoral period - will plunge their country into several months of uncertainty which would aggravate their daily difficulties, caused in particular by persistent inflation.
“
We have already wasted a lot of time and money.
If we go back to the polls, we will waste (even more) time and resources
,” said Anne Karanja, a fruit vendor in the capital Nairobi.
Under pressure after the cancellation of 2017, the IEBC is again at the heart of the storm.
Raila Odinga claims that the electoral commission's servers were hacked to introduce falsified results forms and that around 140,000 votes were not counted.
The boss of the IEBC denied these allegations, claiming to have carried out his duties in accordance with the law despite “
intimidation and harassment
”.
The Supreme Court announced that it would examine whether the technology used met “
standards of integrity, verifiability, security and transparency
”.
It will also have to determine if William Ruto has obtained more than 50% of the votes.
If this were not the case, Kenya would be heading for a second round unprecedented in its history.