We respect the Supreme Court judgement but disagree with it – Raila Odinga
Azimio la Omoja - One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga has vowed to continue with his fight for democracy in the country after the Supreme Court dismissed his petition challenging William Ruto's election as Kenya's fifth president.
In a statement on Monday, September 5, 2022, the Azimio flag bearer said he respects the Supreme Court decision although he disagrees with it.
"We have taken note of the decision of the Supreme Court on the Presidential election held on August 9th, 2022. We have always stood for the rule of law and the constitution. In this regard, we respect the opinion of the court although we vehemently disagree with their decision today," Raila said.
The former prime minister maintained that the August 9 presidential poll was not credible.
"Our lawyers proffered irrefutable evidence and the facts were on our side, unfortunately, the judges saw it otherwise. We find it incredible that the judges found against us on all nine (9) grounds and occasions resulted in unduly exaggerated language to refute our claims," he added.
"This judgement is by no means the end of our movement, in fact, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to transform this country into a prosperous democracy where each and every Kenyan can find their full belonging."
Raila said he will be communicating his plans in the near future,
"We thank our supporters and Kenyans across the country for standing with us. We will be communicating in the near future on our plans to continue our struggle for transparency, accountability and democracy," he added.
We have always stood for the the rule of law and the constitution.
In this regard, we respect the opinion of the court although we vehemently disagree with their decision today. pic.twitter.com/WfOQrtsnpe— Raila Odinga (@RailaOdinga) September 5, 2022
Supreme Court dismisses Raila's petition
In a judgement read by Chief Justice Martha Koome, the seven-judge bench unanimously ruled that the presidential election was conducted in line with the country’s constitution.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati had, on August 15, 2022, declared that Ruto, the Kenya Kwanza flagbearer, won the election with 7,176, 141 votes, which is 50.49% of the total votes cast against Raila's 6, 942, 930 votes (48.85%).
