The Day Mwai Kibaki was Sworn in at Night

The anxiously awaited 2007 presidential result was announced by the then-Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Kivuitu on a Sunday (December 31, 2007) and it was no ordinary day for Kenyans.

Mwai Kibaki was proclaimed the winner in a hotly contested election.

Tensions were high, and two people were killed in Kisumu on that day as police dispersed protestors who had assembled, alleging that Kibaki had rigged ODM leader Raila Odinga’s election.

More than 40 people were killed in Nairobi and more than 50 in Kisumu in the violence that led to the announcement, police had announced earlier that day. On December 28, 2007, early results showed Raila taking a comfortable lead, despite the fact that the majority of the returns came from his strongholds.

By December 30, 2007, his lead had dwindled to just 38,000 votes, with 190 of the 210 constituencies having declared their results.

“The commission therefore declares Honourable Mwai Kibaki as the winner,” Kivuitu announced at the KICC.

The late Kivuitu had been taken to the VIP holding room shortly after scuffles and heckling erupted seconds earlier at the tally center as he read the final tallies.

Kibaki had won by roughly 280,000 votes, but Raila alleged that 300,000 of Kibaki’s votes were rigged, and he wanted a recount. The administration responded quickly to guarantee that there was no void.

Kibaki was sworn in as President at sunset at State House, Nairobi, less than an hour after the proclamation, prompting immediate protests from Raila’s supporters.

With anomalies perpetrated by both sides of the political divide, international monitors stated the election could not have been free and fair.

Read: Kenya’s Third President Mwai Kibaki Is Dead

These events precipitated one of Kenya’s darkest periods, necessitating international involvement. The country’s first power-sharing deal was signed two months later.

It was the most serious stain on Kibaki’s presidency. Kibaki was hailed for reversing the harm done by the Kanu regime under President Moi, who reigned for 24 years and did a lot of damage to the economy.

Protests against Kibaki’s victory in Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, Kericho, Nairobi, and Mombasa began with gunfire, smoke, and wails filling the air for the better part of that night.

Houses were set on fire, shops were plundered, women and girls were raped, people were cut with pangas, and others were shot by police.

Celebrations died off once President Kibaki was sworn in, leaving Central Kenya, Kibaki’s backyard, peaceful. Raila refused to accept loss, claiming that the election had been rigged in his opponent’s favor by the government.

The weeks that followed were difficult for Kenyans, with more than 1,500 people killed and 650,000 people displaced as a result of the upheaval.

Kenya was on the verge of collapse after the election, and the international community was forced to intervene by pressing Kibaki and Raila to talk.