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Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua on Thursday, August 18 met the United States congressional delegation

Raila said they discussed matters relating to the recently held general election in Kenya. 

"We held candid discussions on developments around our general election and bilateral relations with the congressional delegation of the US Senate and House of Representatives," Raila said.

Raila to move to court

The leaders also discussed Azimio la Umoja's decision to move to court to challenge the presidential results.

"We reiterated our commitment to pursuing legal means to resolve issues around the presidential election results," Raila added. 

The delegation earlier met President-elect William Ruto at his Karen residence where they held talks surrounding the just concluded general election.

 
The US congressional delegation posed for a photo with President-elect William Ruto at the Deputy President's official residence in Karen, Nairobi, on Thursday, August 18, 2022. PHOTO/Willam Ruto/Twitter

"Held talks with Congressional Delegation from the United States led by Delaware Senator Chris Andrew Coons in the company of US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman at the Karen Office, Nairobi County.

"The talks touched on the just concluded elections in the country and areas of cooperation between Kenya and the United States.

"We commit to deepening relations and further partnership for the mutual benefit of the citizens of the two countries," Ruto said in a statement. 

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati on Monday, August 15 announced that Ruto won the August 9 presidential election with 7.17 million votes against Raila's 6.94 million.

Raila rejects election results

However, Raila said that the figures announced by Chebukati were null and void and should be thrown out by a competent court of law.

One of the grounds of his rejection of the vote was the disagreement that rocked the electoral commission just before Chebukati announced the winners.

Four of the seven commissioners rejected the results on Monday saying the last phase of counting and tallying had been opaque.

Raila’s rejection of the results came even as Chebukati on Tuesday gazetted Ruto and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua, as President-elect and Deputy President-elect respectively.

Vowing to fight the results, Raila said: “The figures announced by Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law. In our view, there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a president-elect. Mr Chebukati’s announcement purporting to announce a winner is a nullity.”

He also thanked his supporters for remaining peaceful as he and other Azimio leaders prepared to challenge the results.

He said that Chebukati had acted with gross impunity and in total disregard of the Constitution and the laws, adding that he could have plunged the country into chaos had Azimio supporters not exercised restraint. By Evans Maritim, People Daily

From left: Rachel Ruto, President-elect William Ruto, deputy President-elect Rigathi Gachagua and his wife Dorcas Rigathi at the Bomas of Kenya. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

The Russian Embassy in Kenya has congratulated William Ruto on being declared President-elect following the August 9 General Election.

“The Embassy of Russia is looking forward to continuing and further developing comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with Kenya. We are confident that the friendly relations between our two countries and peoples will be reinvigorated and further strengthened,” it said in a statement on Thursday. 

Russia joins other embassies in Nairobi lauding the country for a peaceful election and for setting an example to the East Africa region and the African continent by large.

“We commend the people of Kenya for the peace and calm displayed on Election day, the IEBC’s organisation of the elections, and the positive roles played by civil society, religious and business leaders, and the security sector.” 

The statement dated August 17 was issued by Embassies and High Commissions in Nairobi including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Denmark, and the UK.

Ruto was declared president-elect on Monday by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Wafula Chebukati, with 50.49 per cent of the total votes cast against his closest competitor Raila Odinga who got 48.89 per cent. By Betty Njeru, The Standard

  • Raila Odinga at KICC giving his speech to the Media about IEBC commission on August 16, 2022  KENYANS.CO.KE 
  • On Tuesday, August 16, Azimio's Raila Odinga, rejected the presidential election results announced by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati who declared DP William Ruto as the president-elect. 

    Raila pointed out discrepancies in the final tallying process- claiming that Chebukati disregarded the laws of the commission. 

    The former Prime Minister affirmed that they would exercise all available channels at their disposal to challenge the results. 

    Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition flagbearer Raila Odinga posing for a photo in a past event
    Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition flagbearer Raila Odinga posing for a photo in a past event
    KENYANS.CO.KE
     

    Here is the full speech: 

    Today, I want to address my fellow Kenyans and the international community about the 2022 elections and the role of the IEBC - the body mandated by the constitution and the law to conduct and manage the elections. 

    On August 9, 2022, millions of Kenyans turned out in large numbers in an attempt to choose their leaders at the national, county, and local levels after a long and generally peaceful campaign.

    But yesterday, on August 15, our budding democracy faced a major setback. As a result, Kenya faces a grave, legal and political crisis as a result of the actions of Mr. Wafula Chebukati, the chairperson of the IEBC. The constitution and our laws are clear about how the IEBC should conduct its business.

    There is no more important role for the IEBC than the conduct, transmission and tallying of the presidential results. We are painfully aware of the past political biases by the IEBC that plunged this country into its darkest chapter.

    The terrible memories of the aftermath of the 2007 General Election are still fresh in our minds. 

    In 2017, the Supreme Court of Kenya nullified the presidential election again because of misconduct of the IEBC. What we saw yesterday was a travesty and a blatant disregard of the constitution and the laws of Kenya by Chebukati and a minority of the IEBC commissioners. 

     The law is clear on the role of the chairperson of the IEBC. The law doesn't vest in the chairperson, the powers of a dictator to rule the IEBC unilaterally. The IEBC is a structured and democratic institution in which decisions must be taken either by consensus or by a vote of the majority. 

    The chairperson and a tiny minority of commissioners have no legal authority to take which decisions and proclaim them as the rulings of the IEBC. The law on the IEBC provides that unless a unanimous decision is reached, a decision on any matter before the commission shall be by a majority of the members present and voting. 

    I want to repeat that unless a unanimous decision is reached, a decision on any matter before the commission shall be the majority of the members present and voting. In addition, the Court of Appeal in the Maina Kiai case ruled and I quote again.

    From left Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition flagbearer Raila Odinga and his deputy Martha Karua posing for a photo in a past event
    From left; Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition flagbearer Raila Odinga and his deputy Martha Karua posing for a photo in a past event
    KENYANS.CO.KE

    "We reiterate as we conclude that there is no doubt on the architecture of the laws we have considered that the people of Kenya did not intend to vest or concentrate such sweeping boundless powers in one individual that is the chairperson of the commission."

    That is why I and Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya and the nation at large were shocked yesterday to learn that Chebukati alone decided to pronounce the supposed winner of the 2022 presidential elections.  We understand that only Chebukati alone had access to the presidential tally votes. He denied all the commissioners access to that information until he suddenly appeared before the commissioners in the late afternoon, to present them with a fait accompli 

    Barely 2 hours before his announcement, he called a meeting of the IEBC and revealed to them the different results he was going to announce. Four of the seven protested but Mr. Chebukati, whose mind appeared made up, did not entertain any discussion of the results, precipitating a walkout the majority of the commissioners who promptly denounced the results at a press conference. We know what happened next.

    A majority of the commissioners walked out and held a press conference where they denounced the results. Our view in Azimio is clear.  

    The figures announced by Chebukati are null and void and must be quashed by a court of law. In our view, there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a president-elect. Mr. Chebukati's announcement purporting to announce a winner is a nullity. 

    He acted with gross impunity and total disregard for the constitution and our laws. He could have plunged our country into chaos had our supporters not exercised great restraint. Such blunt acts of impunity can be a threat to the security of our country. 

    It is not up to us to decide whether Mr. Chebukati has committed an offense, we leave that determination to the appropriate authorities. For the avoidance of doubt, I want to repeat that we totally, and without reservation, reject the presidential results announced by Chebukati. I want to commend our supporters for remaining calm and keeping the peace and urge them to continue to do so. 

    Let no one take the law into their own hands. We're pursuing constitutional and lawful channels and processes to invalidate Chebukati's illegal and unconstitutional announcement.  We are certain that justice will prevail. I want to further commend the heroism of the four commissioners who stood up to the bullying and illegal conduct of Chebukati. 

    We are proud of them and ask them not to fear anything, Kenyans are with them. Today, I did not want to fully address our strategies going forward but suffice it to note that we will be pursuing all constitutional and legal options available to us. 

    We will do so because we regard many flaws in the elections and the wrongs as fatal to the process and the outcome announced by Chebukati. 

    We urge Kenyans and friends and partners of Kenyans to stand tall and be counted as we seek to advance the ideals of democracy and open society that we always stood for. We will pursue justice for our supporters and for all Kenyans so that their choices are respected and honoured. 

    May God bless you and may God bless Kenya.  By Brian Kimani, Kenyans.co.ke

 

Zimbabwe extended an incentive for the country’s biggest gold miners to produce above state-set output targets.

Large producers that exceed their goals will receive 80% of the payment for the additional output in foreign currency, Deputy Mines Minister Polite Kambamura said in an interview. That compares with the existing 60-40 split between foreign and local currency payments for gold produced in the southern African country.

“Overall, it’s a good policy,” said Isaac Kwesu, chief executive officer of the Chamber of Mines. “But for those that are already operating at full throttle, they will not be able to benefit from it.” 

Zimbabwe’s gold miners say they can only make the investments required to help reboot the country’s economy if they can retain a larger share of their foreign currency earnings. Gold exports are the No. 3 foreign currency earner, after platinum and remittances, in a nation that suffers from an acute shortage of dollars.

Kambamura said the government has identified two local lenders that could help provide the US$1 billion of funding needed by the gold industry over the next five years.

Kuvimba Mining House Ltd., 65% owned by the state, plans a fivefold increase in production at its Shamva Gold operation by next year, the deputy minister said.

“Shamva is coming up with a massive expansion project which will see them doing open cast mining,” he said. Mothballed state-owned gold mines will be reopened, while those not fully operational will be recapitalized, Kambamura said. 

Gold output in Zimbabwe climbed 47% in the first seven months of this year. The government wants the gold sector to account for a third of the targeted US$12 billion the mining industry will generate next year, the deputy minister said.- Bloomberg/Insider

By Fidelis Odhiambo

William Ruto has been declared the winner of the 2022 presidential election. He was awarded his certificate by the IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati.

Prior to the announcement four IEBC commissioners had left Bomas of Kenya and gave a Media briefing at Serena Hotel, distancing themselves from the decision arrived at to announce William Ruto as the winner.

They alleged that there was lack of transparency in the tallying of the Presidential votes.

On the sidelines, members of Azimio team kept complaining that they were not allowed to verify the votes. More to follow…

 

The four IEBC's Commissioners who left IEBC

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