Kenya election 2022: Supreme Court confirms William Ruto's victory against Raila Odinga

 William Ruto was legitimately elected president, according to a ruling by Kenya's Supreme Court that dismissed various applications that sought to void the outcome of the election on August 9.

His challenger Raila Odinga and others had claimed that there had been widespread fraud, including the alteration of results forms.

In the hotly contested election, Mr. Ruto received 50.5% of the vote.

Next week, the 55-year-old will take the oath of office as the nation's fifth president.

All eight petitions contesting the results of the elections were rejected. In a unanimous judgment made on behalf of the seven judges, Chief Justice Martha Koome stated that the court concluded some were based on false documents and "sensational information."

No credible evidence that the electronic voting transmission system had been tampered with by "a middle man" was presented, she said. 

  Ms. Koome also said that Mr. Ruto had met the constitutional threshold of garnering 50%+1 of the votes cast.

The ruling ends a protracted election dispute that started after polls closed last month.

Mr. Odinga's team had used the dissent of four of the seven electoral commissioners - who disowned the poll results because they had fallen out with the chairman - to bolster his case.

But the court, while noting the "dysfunction" of the commission in managing its internal affairs, said it was not convinced that the claims of the chairman running a one-man show was enough to undermine the election.

"Are we to nullify the outcome of an election based on a last-minute boardroom rupture whose details remain scanty?" the judges asked.

The judges questioned, "Are we to annul the result of an election based on a last-minute boardroom breach whose specifics remain scant?"

Celebrations have already started in the Rift Valley and other areas of the central region, where Mr. Ruto's running mate is from.

A somber mood has taken over in Kisumu, Mr. Odinga's stronghold. Some shops have closed for the day, leaving the streets empty.

In the upcoming hours, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who supported Mr. Odinga, is anticipated to address the nation.