There has been a very close presidential race in this election. Both Raila Odinga and William Ruto have each polled close to 50 per cent of the vote.
Assuming there is no runoff and that either Raila or Ruto achieves 50+1, they are likely to win by a very small margin.
If supporters of either side feel that they have been cheated, it will be a recipe for chaos and possible violence.
So far, the general impression is that the IEBC has done an excellent job. There have been fewer complaints than in previous elections and the results have mostly been accepted.
The IEBC has also made Form 34As from 46,000 polling stations available online. Therefore anyone can add up the figures and calculate the result. It will be very difficult to manipulate the final figures.
In the last day or two, public tallying has slowed down. This is not a bad thing. It is vital that the IEBC gets it right so that the population believes that the election was free and fair, whoever wins the presidential race.
So the IEBC should take its time and make certain that the final result, however close, is credible and acceptable.
Quote of the day: "The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow."
H. G. Wells
The English novelist died on August 13, 1946
