Will Kenya’s next president follow through on China contract promises?
- William Ruto campaigned on threats to deport illegal workers and make big contracts with Chinese companies public
- But politics and the reality of government are two different things, observers say
Kenya’s relations with China will be a priority for the country’s new president’s foreign policy because of China’s outsize role in the Kenyan economy, observers said.
Ruto, 55, deputy president since 2013, gained 7.17 million votes, or 50.49 per cent of the total, while veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga had 6.94 million votes, or 48.85 per cent, Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced on Monday.
But the Odinga campaign team rejected the results, alleging vote-rigging.
Further, the electoral commission’s deputy chairwoman said four of its seven members rejected the presidential election results, saying the results were arrived at in an opaque manner.
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Top Chinese diplomat tours East Africa to promote peace, ensure stability for belt and road allies
Throughout the campaign China, Kenya’s second-largest lender after the World Bank, was a major issue, with some politicians accusing the government of taking excessive loans to finance projects.