KENYA’S Supreme Court ruled yesterday that presidential elections will have to be rerun, citing “irregularities and illegalities” in the way the electoral commission had counted votes.

The stunning decision saw opposition supporters dancing in the streets as the previously announced victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta has been deemed “unconstitutional.” The court says new elections must be held within 60 days.

Opposition candidate Raila Odinga had challenged the August result in which he attained 44 per cent of the vote to Mr Kenyatta’s 54 per cent, claiming that it could be out by up to five million votes because of anomalies.

He called it a “very historic day. For the first time in the history of African democratisation, a ruling has been made by a court nullifying [the] irregular election of a president.”

Unsurprisingly Mr Kenyatta was less enthusiastic, saying of the judges that “six people have decided they will go against the will of the people.”

The president said he “personally disagrees” with the ruling but will abide by it, calling for peace as post-election clashes between his supporters and Mr Odinga’s have previously claimed hundreds of lives.

“We are not at war with our brothers and sisters in the opposition because we are all Kenyans. But five or six people cannot change the will of 45 million,” he declared.

Suspicious circumstances around the election included the death of Christopher Msando, the official in charge of Kenya’s electronic voting system, who was found tortured and killed days before voting began.

But international observers did not report any interference with the vote.