Kivutha Kibwana joins Ruto's legal team ahead of Supreme Court battle

Outgoing Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana has joined President-elect William Ruto's legal team ahead of a looming Supreme Court battle where the latter will be expected to defend his electoral win.

Dr Ruto shared the development Tuesday, even as the Azimio la Umoja team, led by rival Raila Odinga, promised a battle that will prove their claim of substantial rigging in the just concluded presidential election. 

Last week, IEBC boss Wafula Chebukati declared that Dr Ruto had won the race to become President-elect with 50.49 percent of the vote. Azimio has since termed the declaration null and void. 

Dr Ruto's legal faces a number of petitions, chief among them the one filed by Mr Odinga and his running-mate Martha Karua. In it, they argue that no candidate attained the 50 percent plus one vote threshold, adding that by their own calculations, Dr Ruto fell short by at least 441 votes. They allege there was no outright winner as the turnout figures were manipulated.

They also say they have evidence of rigging, and claim that there was a plan, which was hatched in March, to manipulate the election results in Dr Ruto’s favour. Part of the manipulation, Mr Odinga and Ms Karua hold, is seen in a sample of 42 polling stations in Kiambu and Bomet counties where physical forms differ from what was uploaded onto IEBC’s portal.

A series of internal conflicts pitting Mr Chebukati against past and present IEBC staffers has also led the Azimio candidates to call for his removal and invalidation of the August 15 declaration.

The latest fallout has seen commissioners Juliana Cherera, Justus Nyangaya, Francis Wanderi and Irene Massit disown the results Mr Chebukati announced. All seven commissioners and Mr Chebukati have been listed as respondents alongside Dr Ruto. Their listing as respondents could spark a fresh battle as they could submit conflicting positions in court.

Download a copy of Raila's Supreme Court petition: Raila Odinga petition download