Odinga has 52.54% of the vote to Ruto’s 46.76%, according to figures released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission early this afternoon based on results from about 30% of polling stations. Kenyans are still awaiting final results five days after the country, considered one of Africa’s most dynamic democracies, went to the polls on Tuesday. Odinga, 77, is making his fifth stab at the top job with the support of his longtime nemesis, outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta, who has already served two terms and cannot run again. Ruto, 55, was deputy president for almost a decade but was left out in the cold after a deal between Odinga and Kenyatta in 2018 stunned the nation. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The electoral commission on Friday acknowledged that vote counting was proceeding too slowly after urging the nation to be patient. It denied its results portal had been hacked, insisting its systems were secure. Kenyans were left confused when television stations providing rolling coverage of the election suddenly stopped broadcasting provisional results on Thursday. The election is seen as a test of the stability of the east African powerhouse, which has seen previous polls marred by fraud and deadly violence. Although the long campaign was bitter and marred by disinformation, election day was largely peaceful, with independent observers saying the vote was orderly if not without challenges. The winner of the presidential race must secure 50% plus one vote and at least a quarter of the vote in 24 of Kenya’s 47 counties.
