President-elect William Ruto has lauded his main rival Raila Odinga for not calling for street protests after losing the presidential election last week.
Speaking during a church service in Kiambu that voted for him overwhelmingly leading to his victory against Odinga, Ruto stated that Odinga’s decision to file a presidential petition in the Supreme Court to have his victory declared invalid has ensured that the country moves forward peacefully.
“I want to thank our competitors because they have contributed to the peace we have. For the first time, they haven’t planned demonstrations and other many things,” Ruto said.
Kenya’s worst violence occurred during the disputed presidential election in 2007, when Odinga lost to Kibaki, resulting in a power-sharing agreement in which Odinga was named Prime Minister.
Odinga lost to Uhuru Kenyatta again in 2013 and 2017, sparking street protests, particularly in the latter polls, in which Odinga successfully challenged the electoral commission’s decision to order a repeat election in the Supreme Court.
“We want to thank them for maintaining the peace because we have been able to move forward as a nation,” Ruto.
Hundreds of Raila supporters have been killed or injured in previous demonstrations after clashes with police.
Following the highly contested election, in which he defeated Odinga with 7,176,141 (50.1%) votes to the former Prime Minister’s 6,942,930 (48.85%), the president-elect hailed the electorate as heroes for maintaining peace.
“The heroes in this election are Kenyans who went and voted peacefully. They have shown that they don’t want a Kenya that is confrontational and that we can vote and continue with our business and daily activities,” he said.
Ruto has described his victory and the aftermath of the presidential election as proof that Kenya has moved on from ethnic politics, which dominated for decades.
He stated that the support he received from the Mt Kenya region, among others, demonstrates that Kenya has matured beyond ethnic cocoons.
He stated that Kiambu County, which is considered the outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta’s political stronghold, defied all odds by voting for him over Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s preferred successor.
“I appreciate that people of Mt Kenya have taken me as one of their sons. They have stood by me through thick and thin and buried ethnicity in the politics of Kenya. I am assuring you that I will not let you down,” Ruto said.
Ruto stated that the majority of the 7,176,141 votes he received came from Kiambu County.
Despite the upheavals that have occurred since his fallout with President Kenyatta in March 2018, when he shook hands with Odinga, he expressed gratitude for being elected.
“Some wonder why we started with Kiambu. It is because this is where we got majority of the votes as compared to other regions in the country,” he said when he attended a church service on Sunday, “This is our Jerusalem and people of Kiambu have made history that they have voted for me tremendously as compared to my home county in Uasin Gishu County.”
Laikipia, Tharaka-Nithi, Murang’a, Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Embu, Meru, and Nakuru counties in Mount Kenya collectively gave Ruto nearly three million votes.
Odinga received 847,709 votes from Mount Kenya, which was an improvement over previous elections.
“The people of Mt Kenya have changed the politics in our nation and you have occasioned a paradigm shift in the politics of our republic. And I promise I won’t let you down,” Ruto stated.
Even as he spoke, Odinga was preparing to file a petition on Monday to challenge the Deputy President’s victory.
