I will accept any election petition challenging my victory in the October 26 repeat Presidential election, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.
Exuding confidence that his victory has been confirmed by the electoral commission, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), he said he is ready for another round of court challenge to defend his victory.
Uhuru spoke at the Bomas of Kenya on Monday after IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati declared him the winner of the repeat polls.
He said that he respected the law when the Supreme Court nullified his August 8 victory and he is ready to “submit to the Constitution” once again.
“The Opposition petition that led to my nullification was not based on my election but on the process, and since the law is supreme, I submitted myself to the people leading to the October 26 election,” said Uhuru adding “I defeated violence, intimidation and witchcraft”.
The Supreme Court on September 1 nullified August 8 elections on a petition lodged by Raila Odinga challenging Uhuru’s victory.
Jubilee has since then been on the campaign trail.
Though there was low voter turnout countrywide, Uhuru managed to garner over 7.3 million votes.
Uhuru told Kenyans that it has not been easy for him trying to defend his seat in light of the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
He explained the changes to the law put him between a rock and a hard place as he tried to get advice from different quarters on what the best move would be.
“I listened to all voices regarding rules of engagement in the run up to the elections, said Uhuru adding “and decided not to sign the document because the law should be reasoned based on principles.
Any other country that would have experienced what we went through would have burst asunder but we stayed strong since you cannot choose the opportunity to exercise a right and thereafter abscond from the consequences of that choice.”