The 77-year-old Kenya presidential candidate on the platform of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya, Raila Odinga has taken a commanding lead ahead of his main challenger, Deputy President William Ruto.
Reports from Kenya showed that Odinga has garnered 5,758,422 votes while Ruto has secured 5,457,115 votes as of 12 noon Nigerian time (2 PM in Kenya).
Kenyan online newspaper, Nation said final presidential results declared in six constituencies within Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties have Odinga leading the pack.
The electoral body in Kenya, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has disclosed that the results of the presidential election could not be announced yesterday.
The chairman of the commission, Wafula Chebukati said this on Wednesday while addressing journalists in the East African country.
“The issue of saying that we should declare results today (Wednesday), that will not happen today,” Chebukati told journalists.
He also said the objective of the electoral umpires is to conclude the process “at the earliest possible time.”
A runoff election will be held if no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes.
This is the podium where Deputy President William Ruto would address Kenyans about the elections and results.
But on Thursday evening, there was little activity at the venue of the kind one would expect – no one was there priming it to host a worthy election contender and no crowd of supporters milling around.
Elections in Kenya are always viewed as a matter of life and death. With CUEA hosting such a strategic venue, nobody goes in without security checks.
DP Ruto’s communication team had asked journalists to get accreditation to be allowed to enter. Anyone without an access card would be locked out, they said, without mincing their words.
No one goes through the gate without the cards hanging on their necks.
Inside room where DP Ruto will address Kenyans
Located some 10km from the Nairobi city centre, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) hosts Kenya Kwanza’s communication centre.
CUEA was recently the site of the 2022 presidential debate that Azimio’s Raila Odinga gave a wide berth.
Its auditorium has a podium, from which Kenya Kwanza officials will issue formal communication regarding the elections.
Elections in Kenya are always viewed as a matter of life and death. With CUEA hosting such a strategic venue, nobody goes in without security checks.
DP Ruto’s communication team had asked journalists to get accreditation to be allowed to enter. Anyone without an access card would be locked out, they said, without mincing their words.
No one goes through the gate without the cards hanging on their necks.
Dennis Itumbi addressing journalists at the Kenya Kwanza Communication centre at Catholic University of Eastern Africa on August 11, 2022.
The facility has more than one gate. But guards are under “strict instructions” to direct everyone to use the gates where they can be checked for compliance with the security directives.
“Do you have our accreditation cards? Ensure they are on your necks all the time,” a security guard told us.
Handful of vehicles
Past the gate is parking. On Thursday evening, it had a handful of vehicles.
The auditorium is almost empty. Apart from a few loyalists milling around, the Nation gathered that it had not witnessed much activity. And the darkness of the night seemed to have sapped any glitz left.
Visit us on