Africa watches as Kenyan election case is decided

Kenya’s outgoing president called for his nation to stay calm when a court rules today on a legal challenge over the presidential election result, seeking to avoid a repeat of the tribal bloodbath that followed a disputed vote five years ago.

Orderly voting on 4 March after which Uhuru Kenyatta was declared victor, went a long way to restoring Kenya’s image as one of Africa’s more stable democracies.

The final test comes when Kenyans hear from the supreme court whether it upholds Mr Kenyatta’s win or orders a new vote that would give another chance to defeated Raila Odinga, who disputed the result. Mr Kenyatta was well ahead of Mr Odinga in total votes but had only just enough to exceed the 50 per cent threshold to avoid a run-off.