Dear Editor,

I HAVE been following with interest the elections in Kenya which has now been declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission in favour of William Ruto, who served as the country’s Vice-President for 10 years but fell out with President Uhruru Kenyatta, who had backed Odinga Raila to succeed him. Odinga got 48.8 per cent of the vote while Ruto narrowly clinched victory with 50.5 per cent of the votes.

This is indeed a big plus for Kenyan democracy, especially when seen again past elections violence and allegations of voting irregularities. The fact that Ruto has won over Odinga made the victory all the more significant given the latter past history and his ties with the establishment.

The President-elect Ruto, in a short address following the declaration of the results, said he wanted to be a president for all Kenyans.

This is indeed a welcome gesture given Kenya’s past history of disputed elections during which hundreds of lives were lost. Given the thin margin of victory and the tense political situation, it is important that some form of political accommodation be hammered out to allow for political stability. The good news is that the international situation has changed in favour of democracy and it is no longer that easy to get away with rigged elections as our own experience in Guyana had demonstrated.

It remains to be seen whether or not the opposition will accept the election results. The Kenyan people have spoken with their ballots. The will of the electorate must be respected and be the basis for governance.

Yours sincerely,

Hydar Ally