Kenya court upholds Kenyatta win in disputed elections

KENYA'S Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta in the March 4 presidential election.

Kenya Election

KENYA'S Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta in the March 4 presidential election.

The court unanimously ruled that the election had been conducted in a "free, fair, transparent and credible" manner and that Kenyatta and his running mate had been "validly elected", Chief Justice Willy Mutunga said.

"It is the decision of the court that the third and fourth respondents (Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto) were validly elected."

The six judges dismissed petitions filed by Raila Odinga, outgoing prime minister and Kenyatta's main rival in the presidential race, and by civil society groups, over what they said was a series of irregularities that skewed the election results.

The petitioners had called for fresh elections to be ordered.

Kenyatta faces trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague over his alleged role in planning the violence that followed the 2007 elections and left more than 1100 people dead.

There was tight security at the Supreme Court as the judgment was read out on Saturday.

The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held on March 4 were the first since the 2007 poll.