Kenya's defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga filed a petition to the country's top court Monday, challenging the outcome of the August 9 election in what he called a fight for "democracy and good governance".
Odinga, a veteran opposition leader who ran with the backing of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ruling party, has rejected the outcome of the poll that delivered victory to his rival William Ruto, branding it a "travesty".
The 77-year-old politician lost his fifth bid for the presidency by a narrow margin of around 230,000 votes — less than two percentage points.
Hundreds of supporters cheered as dozens of boxes of evidence were unloaded from a truck outside the Supreme Court.
"We have enough evidence that it is us who won the election. We didn't have an election we can be proud of," Odinga told a press conference after filing the case.
The outcome of the poll represented a "continuing struggle pitting the forces for democracy and good governance against the corruption cartels that... will stop at nothing to take control of government," he said, without giving specific details.
"The action we have taken... affirms our deep belief in constitutionalism, the rule of law and a peaceful resolution of disputes."
Although polling day passed off peacefully, the announcement of the results a week ago sparked angry protests in some Odinga strongholds and there are fears a drawn-out dispute may lead to violence in a country with a history of post-poll unrest.
Since 2002, no presidential election in Kenya has gone uncontested, with this year's outcome also causing a rift within the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which oversaw the poll.
According to a copy of the 72-page petition seen by AFP, Odinga's team alleges that IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati failed to tally around 140,000 votes.
As a result, Ruto "did not meet the constitutional threshold of 50% plus 1 of the valid votes cast" — a requirement for him to be declared the winner.
Judges now have 14 days to issue a ruling. If they order an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days.
