Presidential campaigns have begun in earnest following the Supreme Court ruling on Friday September 1 that annulled the results of the presidential election held last month, and called for a rerun of the presidential election due to irregularities. The re-run has been scheduled for 17th October.

Opposition candidate Raila Odinga previously challenged the election results of 2013, but was unsuccessful. However, Friday marked a historic moment for democracy on the continent as for the first time in African history; the re-election of a sitting president was annulled. According to the court, a new poll must be held within 60 days.

Both NASA’s Odinga and Jubilee’s Kenyatta have stated openly they are expecting a full victory. Deputy President William Ruto said, “We want to thank all the Kenyans who voted for us, and our MCAs, Governors, and Senators who are the majority in our country. We also thank God for giving us this victory.”

NASA has said that they will not take part in the elections if no major changes are made to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) staff. The Commission has promised to make some internal changes ahead of the rerun in 60 days.

Opposition leaders across the continent, including Morgan Tsvangirai from Zimbabwe, Charles Nditije from Burundi, and Kissa Besigye from Uganda have applauded the Kenyan Supreme Court ruling, and viewed it as a sign of hope for democracy in other African countries.

AEP