The results of Kenya’s much-awaited presidential election will be known shortly, the electoral body has announced.
Preparations for the declaration are underway at the national tallying centre in the country’s capital, Nairobi.
Deputy President William Ruto has a narrow lead over ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the latest count.
Kenyans have been waiting anxiously for six days for the results.
Supporters of both of the main candidates, dressed in party colours and in celebratory mood, have gathered at various centres across the country to wait for the announcement.
Mr Ruto and two other presidential candidates have arrived at the culture centre at Bomas where the event is being held. It is however unclear if Mr Odinga, who was also invited by the the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), would attend the event.
A choir has been performing at the packed auditorium since morning.
There have been calls for peace from several leaders and bodies including the Catholic Church, which asked for “patience and civility” and urged the main candidates to show “restraint and statesmanship”.
Mr Ruto leads the official tally at 51% against Mr Odinga’s 48%, according to local media. Verified results from 39 of the 290 constituencies are yet to be declared.
Media organisations have also been releasing provisional tallies using official data from the 46,000 polling stations. They also show a tight race. About 14 million votes were cast – a turnout of 65%.
IEBC officials have finished verifying the votes results of the presidential election.
The process involved comparing photographs of result forms from the polling stations to physical forms brought to the centre to ensure they match.
This painstaking effort saw the head of the electoral body, Wafula Chebukati, accuse agents from the main parties, who were witnessing the process, of turning a straightforward exercise into a “forensic” one.
