Kenya’s Repeat Election Postponed by Nine Days

by John Aglionby
Financial Times

Kenya’s electoral commission has postponed the repeat presidential election by nine days to October 26, citing the need to “meet the standards set out by the supreme court” in its judgement that nullified last month’s ballot.

The court voided the result of the August 8 vote on September 1, citing “irregularities and illegalities” after Raila Odinga, the defeated opposition leader, appealed against the re-election of incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.

On Wednesday the judges gave their full ruling, with a majority blaming the electoral commission for “systematic” errors in the transmission of returns from the polling station to the constituency and national tallying centres.

They told the electoral commission to “go back to the drawing board” to prepare for the repeat election or risk that being annulled too.

OT-Morpho, the French company that provided the equipment delivering the electronic voter list and results transmission system, said earlier this week it would not be able to prepare everything in time for October 17, the date the commission originally set for the repeat vote but could meet a deadline of later in the month.

Under Kenya’s constitution the repeat election has to be held within 60 days of the original vote being annulled.

Mr Kenyatta, who beat Mr Odinga by 54 per cent to 45 per cent, said on Thursday he respected the supreme court ruling but strongly disagreed with it. He said the judges had “subverted the will of the people”.