Kenya Election 2022: Odinga and Ruto in a tight race

Preliminary results from Kenya’s presidential election showed a tight race between the two main candidates vying to replace outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kenyans waited anxiously on Wednesday for the results of the country’s presidential election after a largely peaceful poll, with low turnout in some areas suggesting growing frustration with the political elite.

The frontrunners, Deputy President William Ruto and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, were neck and neck with 1.2 million votes each, results tabulated by the private Citizen Television early on Wednesday showed, putting them at just over 49% each.

With pressure building on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which has to declare the results by August 16, officials worked overnight to count votes and dispel rigging fears.

Kenyans, some of whom lined up before dawn to cast their ballot, voted in six elections on Tuesday, choosing a new president as well as senators, governors, members of parliament, woman representatives and some 1,500 county officials.