Rejection of Election Results in Kenya Raises Concern

On Wednesday, Western diplomats called on all political actors to embrace peace in the coming weeks after Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga, also a presidential candidate for the Aug. 9 presidential election, rejected the election results.

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Kenya: Opposition Leader Rejects Presidential Election Results

The envoys from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. commended Kenyans for the peace displayed on election day, and the positive roles played by the electoral body, civil society, religious and business leaders, and the security sector.

The envoys said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi that Kenya has set an example to the region and continent as a whole through their electoral process.

On Tuesday, however, Odinga rejected the presidential election results announced by the electoral body on Monday and vowed to pursue legal and constitutional means to overturn the declaration of the president-elect.

"Any challenge to results must be made within seven days to the Supreme Court, which then has 14 days to issue a ruling. If it orders an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days. If there is no court petition, Ruto will take the oath of office in two weeks' time, becoming Kenya's fifth president since independence," France 24 explained.

The 77-year-old Odinga garnered 6.94 million or 48.85 percent of the 14.1 million votes cast during the hotly contested polls, behind President-elect William Ruto who garnered 7.17 million or 50.49 percent of the total votes cast.

After the results of the presidential elections were declared, Kenyans took to the streets to stage protests in various locations. The street dispute between supporters of Odinga and followers of Ruto raised concern in an African country that still remembers the post-election protests in 2007, when violence between tribes left over 1,100 victims.