FACT CHECK: Has William Ruto Won Kenyan Presidential Election?

A tweep tweeted in the early hours of Wednesday, declaring a candidate in the 2022 Kenyan Presidential election, Dr. Williams Ruto, as the winner of the keenly contested poll. The tweet read, “By all the powers vested upon me by Africa’s revolutionary heroes, I hereby declare that based on preliminary tallies of form 34As, Dr. […]

A tweep tweeted in the early hours of Wednesday, declaring a candidate in the 2022 Kenyan Presidential election, Dr. Williams Ruto, as the winner of the keenly contested poll.

The tweet read, “By all the powers vested upon me by Africa’s revolutionary heroes, I hereby declare that based on preliminary tallies of form 34As, Dr. @WilliamsRuto has won Kenya’s Presidential election by 54.5% of all valid votes cast. The lead is insurmountable. Thank you Patriots. Viva!”

The tweet had generated 650 comments, 1,414 retweets and over 10,000 likes as of the time of filing this report.

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In another tweet in the evening, the tweep claimed that “based on an accurate tabulation of all form 34As, @WulliamsRuto has won.”

“Patriots must ensure that the NIS agents don’t intercept the physical forms and alter them. All forms must be delivered in OPEN SPACES at BOMAS, displayed and talkies TRANSPARENTLY. Not inside rooms,” the post added.

Verification

Checks by Daily Trust revealed that more than 99 per cent of results forms had been electronically submitted by polling centres to the commission on Wednesday, but it still must verify them with the physical forms.

It was observed that high-profile supporters of the two leading candidates were tweeting claims of victory, citing counts based on more than 46,000 results forms posted online by the electoral commission.

As a result, human rights groups on Wednesday warned anxious Kenyans over “rising levels of false or misleading information being shared on social media” as the country awaited results of the presidential election.

Also, Amnesty International Kenya and other groups had in a statement, urged Kenyans to consider all results as provisional until the electoral commission announces the official results to reduce the risks of violence or claims of rigging.

Although official election results must be announced within a week of the vote, the electoral commission indicated it would be at least Thursday before a winner is declared.

“The issue of saying that we should declare results today (Wednesday), that will not happen today,” commission chair Wafula Chebukati told journalists, but he said the aim is to conclude the process “at the earliest possible time.”

The two top candidates are well known to Kenyans, Raila Odinga as a democracy campaigner and former political detainee and Ruto as a wealthy populist who plays up his humble youth.

Odinga, a long time opposition leader is on his fifth attempt and he is backed by former rival and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The other top contender is Deputy President William Ruto, who fell out with the president earlier in their decade in power.

To win the presidential race in the first round, a candidate needs more than half of all the votes cast across the country; and at least 25% of the votes cast in a minimum of 24 counties.

Conclusion

Evidence proves that tallying was still ongoing as of the time of this report. In a confirmation by the electoral commission chair, Wafula Chebukati, a winner will be declared soonest, Thursday.

Therefore, the claim that Williams Ruto has won the Kenyan Presidential election is false and should be disregarded.

This fact check was done in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)