Kenya’s Supreme Court upheld the victory of outgoing Vice President William Ruto in the August 9 last year presidential election over Raila Odinga, who had previously condemned fraud.

“This decision was made unanimously, the appeals were rejected. Accordingly, we declare William Ruto President-Elect,” Chief Justice Martha Comey said in a statement. In this context, Odinga noted in a statement: “We have always defended the rule of law and the constitution. In this regard, we respect the decision of the court, although we strongly disagree with it.”

According to the constitution, Ruto, 55, is due to be sworn in on September 13, becoming Kenya’s fifth president since independence in 1963.

It is noteworthy that on August 15, the Independent Electoral Commission declared Ruto the winner, with a margin of about 233,000 votes (50.49 percent versus 48.84 percent), ahead of 77-year-old Odinga.