Kenya’s Supreme Court Overturns Election Result

Kenyan opposition leader and presidential candidate, Raila Odinga
Supporters of Kenyan opposition leader and presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, demonstrate blocking roads with burning tyres in the Kibera slum area in Nairobi, Kenya. Wednesday Aug. 9, 2017. Odinga says hackers infiltrated the database of the country's election commission and manipulated the results. Early results show President Uhuru Kenyatta with a wide lead over Odinga. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
Kenyan opposition leader and presidential candidate, Raila Odinga
Supporters of Kenyan opposition leader and presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, demonstrate blocking roads with burning tyres in the Kibera slum area in Nairobi, Kenya. Wednesday Aug. 9, 2017. Odinga says hackers infiltrated the database of the country's election commission and manipulated the results. Early results show President Uhuru Kenyatta with a wide lead over Odinga. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Kenya’s Supreme Court Overturns Election Result

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Today, Kenya’s Supreme Court shocked many when it annulled results from last month’s presidential election. Citing irregularities, the Court called for new elections within 60 days.

Despite predictions of an election landslide, incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won with just over 54 percent of the vote over opposition leader, Raila Odinga. At the time, Odinga rejected the results, calling them “fake” and claiming the electoral commission’s IT system had been hacked.

A major issue in the election campaign was the prevalence of fake news. According to GeoPoll, 90 percent of Kenyans have seen or heard fake news around the 2017 election, with 87% reporting instances of deliberately false or fake news. To discuss the Kenyan election turmoil is Alphonce Shiundu, an editor at Africa’s first independent fact-checking organization Africa Check.