‘Father’ vs ‘Hustler-in-Chief’: Kenya Votes in Presidential Election

More than 22 million people are registered to vote in the country, with voting stations due to be open for 11 hours and close at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

Kenyans are casting their ballots in presidential elections on Tuesday, as outgoing incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta prepares to hand over power to a new leader.

According to opinion polls, the vote is considered a two-horse race between Deputy President William Ruto, 55, and veteran opposition leader and ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga, 77.

Nicknamed Baba ("father") by his supporters, Odinga is running for president for a fifth time, while Ruto, who previously tried to underscore his connection with ordinary Kenyans by calling himself a "hustler-in-chief", is taking his first presidential bid.

The 77-year-old did not speak to the press ahead of the vote, but his wife, Ida Odinga, told reporters that he was “upbeat about the election”.

Ruto, for his part, has vowed to prioritize Kenya's economy and "uplift ordinary citizens" if elected president.

“There is a world of difference between me and my competitor. I have a plan, he doesn't,” he said, referring to Odinga.

The deputy president also pledged to recognize the election result as he voted in the town of Eldoret in the Rift Valley earlier on Tuesday.

“I think for the first time in the history of multi-party democracy in Kenya, all the candidates have undertaken that they will accept the outcome of the results,” he told the BBC. Apart from Ruto and Odinga, two other candidates - David Mwaure and George Wajackoya - are also in the race.

The results of Kenya’s last presidential election in 2017 were annulled after the Supreme Court ruled that the electoral commission had not adhered to the law when it came to the electronic transmission of the tallies from the polling stations.

A re-run was won by Kenyatta, but boycotted by Odinga, who was the main opposition candidate at the time.

To win the Kenyan presidential race in the first round, a candidate needs to obtain more than half of all the votes cast across the country and at least 25% of the ballots in a minimum of 24 counties. A runoff will be announced if the candidates fail to gain the above-mentioned votes.