William Ruto announced as winner of Kenyan presidential election but violence flares following result

William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya’s presidential election.

He narrowly beat his rival, Raila Odinga, taking 50.5% of the vote, according to the official results.

The announcement was late as scuffles and allegations of vote-rigging by Odinga’s campaign.

Four of the seven members of the electoral commission refused to endorse the result, saying it was “opaque”.

Mr Odinga’s party agent earlier alleged that there were “irregularities” and “mismanagement” in the election.

This was the first time Mr Ruto, 55, had run for president but he has served as deputy president for 10 years. However, he fell out with President Uhuru Kenyatta, who backed Mr Odinga to succeed him.

The 77-year-old former prime minister, who got 48.8% of the vote, was running for president for the fifth time.

Electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati said: “We have walked the journey of ensuring that Kenyans get a free, fair and credible election. It has not been an easy journey - right now two of my commissioners and the CEO are injured,” he said.

President-elect Ruto thanked the electoral commission for overseeing the election.

He added: “It is a wonderful evening… all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya,” Mr Ruto said, calling Mr Chebukati a “hero” and dismissing the other commissioners’ dissent of his win as “a side show”.

To those who have done many things against us, I want to tell them there’s nothing to fear. There will be no vengeance. We do not have the luxury to look back,” he added.

Celebrations have broken out in several parts of the country, including in Mr Ruto’s strongholds of the Rift Valley, and that of his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, in the Central region.

Supporters of Mr Odinga have staged protests in the western city of Kisumu and some parts of Nairobi.

But generally there’s a sense of relief that the result has finally been declared because the country had ground into a halt since election day on 9 August, economic activities had stalled and schools remain closed.

Kenya’s history of disputed elections in the past have led to violence or the whole process election being cancelled.

Following the 2007 vote, at least 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 fled their homes following claims of a stolen election