According to   him, this is an indication that the country is making inroads as far as democracy is concerned.

“We laud the people of Kenya for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they exercised their right to vote of August 8, 2017. We noted that the voters were able to cast their ballots freely. The elections were very competitive with freedom of association and participation right protected and provided for. The voting process and prescribed procedures were largely adhered to throughout the day,” he said.

Provisional results project a convincing win for incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.

His main challenger Raila Odinga has rejected the results claiming the results have been tampered with a claim Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has disputed.

Speaking to the media, former President Mahama who is leading the Commonwealth Observer Mission, said their independent investigation show, Raila Odinga’s claims are unfounded.

“With regards to the allegation of hacking, it was brought to our attention…and as President Thabo Mbeki indicated; our observer missions are not clothed with the investigative capacity to even investigate those allegations. So our duty is to take note of those allegations which we did. We listened to Raila Odinga and those allegations were directed at the IEBC and the IEBC said as far as they have reviewed they have not found such evidence.”

Mr. Mahama said inspite of the allegations, the integrity of the elections was intact.

“…The integrity of elections are guaranteed by the backup systems that support those elections so given but not admitting that there was a hacking there are backup systems to still guarantee the integrity of the elections,” he added.

Observer missions call for peace

The various observer missions monitoring the elections in Kenya on Tuesday called for peace in that country following heightened tensions following the hacking claims.

A joint statement from nine observer missions including the African Union appealed to the citizens of Kenya “to remain committed to peace and the integrity of the electoral process.”

“We urge candidates and parties to use the legally provided channels of dispute resolution in case of any dissatisfaction with the process and to urge their supporters to remain calm. We call upon the security agencies to provide necessary protection while avoiding any excessive use of force,” the statement added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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