Kenyan’s Supreme Court Nullifies Presidential Election Result, Calls For Re-election

Kenya’s supreme court has nullified Uhuru Kenyatta’s win in the presidential election last month and ordered a new vote within 60 days.

The six-judge bench ruled 4-2 in favour of a petition filed by the opposition candidate Raila Odinga, who claimed that the electronic voting results were hacked into and manipulated in favour of the incumbent.

Kenyatta had won a second term with 54% of the vote.

“The declaration [of Kenyatta’s win] is invalid, null and void,” said the judge David Maranga, announcing the verdict. The court did not place any blame on Kenyatta or his party.

Odinga said: “It’s a very historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension the people of Africa. For the first time in the history of African democratisation, a ruling has been made by a court nullifying [the] irregular election of a president. This is a precedent-setting ruling.”

Lawyers for Kenyatta described the nullification as a “very political decision” but said they would live with the consequences.