Former CJ Maraga Denies Claims Of Him Endorsing Ruto
David Maraga, a former chief justice, has disregarded a tweet in which he was cited as praising William Ruto’s election as president.
According to the tweet, Maraga declared Ruto the winner of the presidential election on August 9 and further called for his swearing-in on August 30.
But on Tuesday, the former president of the Supreme Court called the quotation a fabrication and advised Kenyans to disregard it in a tweet from his official account.
“This tweet circulating on social media purporting to be authored by me is FAKE, please ignore,” he said.
Several parties have expressed resistance to Ruto’s announcement as the next president, including his biggest competitor, former prime minister Raila Odinga, who has petitioned the Supreme Court to declare the victory “null and void.”
Odinga came in second with 6,942,930 votes in the presidential results announced by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati. Meanwhile, Ruto received 7,176,141 votes, or 50.49 percent of the vote.
On Monday, Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua filed a petition in which they charged Mr. Chebukati with violating electoral laws and having a deliberate intention to undermine the sovereign will of the Kenyan people and topple the constitutional order.