William Ruto declared winner of Kenya presidential election amid dispute

Official results showed that Ruto, the current deputy president, won 50.5% of the vote, beating the longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga and narrowly avoiding a run-off.

The sudden declaration prompted fears that vote-rigging allegations could lead to a legal challenge or even deadly violence like the country witnessed after2007 and 2017 presidential polls. Cherera tried to allay concerns by advising those involved to take their complaints to court.

Despite the chaos surrounding the announcement, celebrations briefly broke out in parts of the country, including Kayole, a residential neighbourhood in Nairobi where Ruto and Odinga both have some support.

The last-minute divide among the electoral officials was unexpected. Trust in the electoral commission had received a significant boost in this election after it made all voter forms publicly available, opening them up to independent counts by the media and the public.

Kenya is saddled with public debt of more than 8.5tn shillings (£55bn) and is due to spend more on debt repayments than on recurring expenditure this year.