William Ruto wins Kenyan presidential election when brawl breaks out at vote counting center | World News

William Ruto has been declared the winner of the Kenyan presidential election – shortly after the main vote count was interrupted as scuffles broke out.

Mr Ruto is currently the country’s vice president and defeated opposition leader Raila Odinga for the top spot after winning 50.49% of the vote.

“We are here tonight to witness this important event as the people of Kenya restate what is in the one article of the Kenyan constitution that all sovereign power belongs to,” said Mr. Ruto. the people of Kenya,” Mr Ruto said after his victory was announced.

“I want to thank God for bringing us to this point, I want to thank God that today we have closed this election.

“There were predictions that we wouldn’t get here, but because we’re here there’s a God in heaven, and I mean, in a very special way, and confess that without God, we wouldn’t be here. would not have been here.”

It was a victory for Mr. Ruto, who shook up politics by appeal to Kenyans who are in economic difficulty and not based on traditional ethnic people.

Despite being sidelined by the president, he told voters that the election was between “husbands” like himself from humble backgrounds and the “reign” of outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta and he Odinga, whose father was the first president and vice president of Kenya.

Mr. Odinga has been seeking the presidency for a quarter of a century.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Ruto also thanked Mr Odinga and emphasized an election focused on issues rather than ethnic divisions, saying “gratitude goes to millions of Kenyans , who refused to be locked up in the tribal cocoon”.

Before that, chairs were thrown, bottles were smashed and the podium was thrown as chaos broke out in the main counting room in Nairobi.

Diplomats and international observers were attacked as supporters of Mr. Ruto and Mr. Odinga clashed with police.

It descended into chaos after the deputy chair of the electoral commission, Juliana Cherera, and three other commissioners rejected the results.

“We cannot own the results that will be announced,” Ms Cherera told reporters before Mr Ruto’s victory was revealed.

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Amid concerns that allegations of vote-rigging could lead to an outbreak of violence, Cherera also urged parties to pursue any dispute through the courts.

The sudden split in the committee came minutes after Odinga’s chief representative said it could not verify the results and made an allegation of “electoral violation” without providing details or evidence.

Sky News reporter Yousra Elbagir saw the disruption unfold, before Mr Ruto was declared the winner of the vote.

“Fighting broke out as members of former prime minister and predecessor Raila Odinga flipped tables, flipped chairs and scrambled for election results,” she said.

“Now, his opponent and incumbent vice president William Ruto has arrived, and a strange calm has enveloped the center.

“Everyone’s clapping now, they’ve just welcomed him in, but it’s very strange, and it’s awkward to feel like everyone is acting like what just happened didn’t happen.”

Two commissioners and the commission’s chief executive were injured in the scuffles and are being treated.

People waited at the center for hours after several delays in the election results being announced.

The building was packed with party officials, who were being entertained by musicians calling for calm.