A US senator on Thursday said he urged departing Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to take part in a "peaceful transition of power" amid the latest electoral crisis for East Africa’s previously most stable democracy.
Mr Kenyatta has been publicly silent since the August 9 election, adding to anxiety in the nation with the losing candidate Raila Odinga likely to file a court challenge to fight the results.
“I’ll let the president speak for himself, but that was certainly a hope I expressed today,” US Senator Chris Coons told AP after meeting Mr Kenyatta.
Mr Coons said they discussed ways in which Mr Kenyatta could play a “constructive peacemaking role” after leaving office.
President-elect William Ruto is Mr Kenyatta's deputy president, but the pair fall our years ago. Mr Kenyatta backed Mr Odinga in the election.
Mr Odinga has said he is exploring “all constitutional and legal options” to challenge his close election loss.
His campaign has a week from Monday’s declaration of Mr Ruto’s win to go to the Supreme Court, which then has 14 days to rule.
“Obviously, the United States has had a very difficult experience with these issues for the past few years,” Mr Coons said, referring to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol as departing president Donald Trump tried to cling to power.
“I said in all three meetings we have things to learn from Kenya.”
Mr Kenyatta told Mr Coons that Kenya would uphold “its position of a shining example of democracy in the continent by maintaining peace during this transition period", his office said.
Mr Odinga has urged his supporters to remain calm, in a country with a history of post-election violence.
Kenya’s electoral commission publicly split in chaos just minutes before Monday’s declaration, with commissioners accusing each other of misconduct.
The four commissioners who objected to Monday’s declaration were appointed by Mr Kenyatta last year.
The split came as a shock to many Kenyans after an election widely seen as the country’s most transparent. Results from the more than 46,000 polling stations were posted online for the public to follow.
Public tallies, including one by a local election observer group, added up to a win for Mr Ruto with just over 50 per cent of the vote.
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Chanting "No Raila No Peace," supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga burn tyres in the Kibera neighbourhood of the capital Nairobi. AP Photo -
A police officer fires tear gas towards supporters of Azimio La Umoja Party – the One Kenya Coalition Party – presidential candidate Raila Odinga in the port city of Kisumu. AFP -
Demonstrators protest in Kibera after Kenya’s electoral commission declared Deputy President William Ruto the winner of the close presidential election over five-time contender Raila Odinga. There have been allegations of vote-rigging. Reuters -
A protester and security officials scuffle before the announcement of the presidential election results, at the IEBC National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya, in Nairobi. Reuters -
Supporters of Raila Odinga protest in Kibera against the result of the close vote. Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner, despite several commissioners rejecting the results. AFP -
A police officer fires tear gas at protesters in Kisumu. The electoral commission said William Ruto had almost 7.18 million votes (50.49 per cent) against 6.94 million (48.85 per cent) for Raila Odinga, in the August 9 poll. Reuters -
An Azimio La Umoja Party supporter protests in front of a burning barricade near in the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi. AFP -
A supporter of presidential candidate Raila Odinga holds a placard referring to electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati, while shouting "No Raila, No Peace", in Kibera. AP -
A man rides his motorcycle past supporters of Kenya's Azimio La Umoja Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga burning tyres in Kibera. There have been reports that the opposition could challenge the result. AFP -
A supporter of defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga protests next to a roadblock of burning tyres in Kibera. AP Photo
The political transition in Kenya will have significant impact on the East Africa region, where Mr Kenyatta had been working with the US to try to mediate in Ethiopia’s conflict in Tigray and promoting peace efforts between Rwanda and Congo.
Mr Ruto this week has focused on domestic matters, not regional ones.
He appealed to Kenyans by making the election about economic differences and not the ethnic divisions that have long marked the country’s politics, with sometimes deadly results.
Mr Ruto portrayed himself as an outsider from humble beginnings defying the political dynasties of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga, whose fathers were Kenya’s first president and vice president, respectively.
Mr Odinga has pursued the presidency for 25 years. He was detained for years in the 1980s over his push for multiparty democracy and was also a supporter of Kenya’s groundbreaking 2010 constitution.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
