President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Monday declared President-elect by the IEBC after garnering 7,483,895 Million votes, translating to 98.26% of the total votes cast.
Speaking shortly after the declaration, President Kenyatta thanked all Kenyans for supporting his re-election bid and noted that time had come for the country to move forward.
Addressing the issue of the election amendment bill, the Head of State explained that he did not sign the proposed law because he searched his conscience and decided not to assent to it.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta and IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati at Bomas on Monday"]
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"When the Bill was brought to me for signature, I was compelled by my conscience to go back to the Origins of Law. If an Act of Parliament is a direct expression of the Will of the People, were the people happy with this law?
"Some argued that I was changing the Rules of Engagement half-way through the game. Others argued to change the electoral law ahead of the 26th election is to privilege me over the other competitors. And because the law must be founded on reasoned national consensus, I listened to these voices. I did not sign the new Bill into Law," he stated.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto at Bomas of Kenya on Monday"]
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Regarding the issue of voter turnout and legitimacy, President Kenyatta dismissed claims that he was not legitimately elected adding that people came out in large numbers on October 26th to validate his re-election.
"Here is the truth as recorded in our books. On August 8th, 15 million Kenyans came out to vote. Of these 8.4 million Kenyans voted for me. On October 26th, 90% of the same voters came out to support my bid.
"This was a re-validation of their general will. A statement of their national intent in support of Jubilee as their government of choice. And all of this was done within the confines of the Rule of Law, and our Constitutional imperatives," Kenyatta explained
The President also noted that in as much as he been declared President-elect, he would be open to a court challenge as it is the right of any aggrieved party to seek legal redress.
"My victory today is likely to be subjected to a constitutional test through the courts. And as I have demonstrated repeatedly, I will submit to this constitutional path no matter its outcomes," President Kenyatta explained.
Moving forward, the Head of State noted that as the country waits for the next move, the future of over 1.6 Million young people who have been preparing for secondary and primary school exams should not be disrupted by politics.
"My commitment is to ensure that the exams will continue as scheduled and that the future of our children is guaranteed," the President-elect announced.
Lastly, he appealed to Kenyans to maintain peace and be their neighbour's keeper despite their political stands.
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