Kenya Supreme Court Nullifies Presidential Election
African said that It is a historic day for the people of Kenya, and by extension the people of Africa.
1, 2017
NAIROBI, Kenya — In a historic ruling and a first in Africa, Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified on Friday the re-election of a sitting president, ordering a new vote to be held within 60 days after finding
that the outcome last month had been tainted by irregularities.
The Supreme Court, which has bolstered its independence in recent years but had still been viewed by many Kenyans as under government influence, was facing pressure to set out arguments
that would persuade people on either side, said Mr. Omondi, the country director for the National Democratic Institute.
But when Mr. Kenyatta was initially declared the winner, just hours after voting ended, almost none of the forms from the polling
stations were online, even though the electoral commission had had a week to receive scanned images of the results.
The six-judge Supreme Court found no misconduct on the part of the president, Mr. Kenyatta, but it found
that the commission "committed irregularities and illegalities in the transmission of results" and unspecified other issues.
International election observers were quick to praise the electoral body after the vote, saying there was no evidence
that the votes had been tampered with at polling stations and that the paper forms would show clearly who had won.
he presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the Constitution,"
the court said. that failed, neglected, or refused to conduct t