Millions of Kenyans have been voting in an election that pits the longtime opposition politician Raila Odinga against the deputy president, William Ruto. Kenya is facing a cost-of-living crisis, fueled by the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has cut global food supply chains and affected food prices and availability in the country.
Odinga and Kenyatta put their long political rivalry to rest after a handshake in 2018, meant to signify that they were moving on from bitterly fought, ethnically divisive elections in 2017 in an effort to unify the country. Ruto, 55, has had a political career spanning decades. The live chicken-seller turned billionaire has been dogged by corruption allegations for years, though never indicted.
The populist candidate has fronted a “bottom-up” economic model that he says would empower low-income communities.
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