William Ruto is declared Kenya’s next president

gone so well. For days, ballots cast in Kenya’s presidential election had been meticulously and transparently counted. But just as Kenyans were hoping to consign their murky electoral history to the past, all hell broke loose. Sensing that their man was about to lose, allies of Raila Odinga, the outgoing government’s favoured candidate, rushed the stage as the electoral commission’s chairman, Wafula Chebukati, prepared to declare William Ruto, the anti-establishment candidate, the winner. Throwing punches, they hurled the podium into the auditorium. Mr Chebukati fled, as did assembled Western ambassadors. A choir, supposedly symbolising national harmony, sang bravely on.When Mr Chebukati returned under police protection he was alone. Of his six fellow commissioners, two were receiving medical attention, while four others had gone off in a huff after finding fault with the final tallying process. He duly announced that Mr Ruto had secured 50.5% of the vote, just enough to avoid a run-off. Mr Odinga, with 48.8%, was defeated for the fourth time in a row.