Now it's time to embrace each other, work for a united nation

State House, Nairobi. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

On Monday 5th September 2022 the Supreme Court of Kenya (SCOK), delivered a unanimous judgement validating the election of President-elect William Ruto, paving way for his swearing-in as the President, on Tuesday 13th September 2022.

This decision rendered greater legitimacy to the President-elect and bestowed on him tremendous responsibility to heal and unite a fractured country. We should all congratulate the President-elect and his team, well-played!

The electioneering and politicking since 2018 should hopefully come to an end because Kenyans are yearning to go back to their lives and move forward. The greater tasks lie ahead.

The emerging heroes following the SCOK judgement are the people of Kenya, to whom our 2010 Constitution, bestowed all power and authority to elect their leaders and grant them the legitimacy and authority to govern.

The SCOK confirmed the supremacy and power of the people and the importance of respecting their will in an election. We can only hope this has restored some confidence and trust in their power to vote and express their political will and that they will come out in large numbers in future to elect their representatives.

The SCOK decision, which has been accepted by all players, also demonstrates that Kenya's democracy has come of age. Those seven judges are therefore our other heroes in this process.

Sadly, we cannot say the same of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), whose chairman and members almost sabotaged the important work of the majority of their staff in polling stations, constituencies and counties.

Their conduct on 15th August 2022 was unacceptable and although their detailed judgement promises more on this, it did not escape most of us, that the SCOK did not have praise for the IEBC. Much will be said and written about this in days to come.

The winners need to be gracious and take their victory laps in humility without gloating to avoid alienating most Kenyans. Mocking and calling out those who didn't support us will not reconcile and unite Kenya.

Some 7.1 Kenyans voted for the President-elect while almost another 7 million Kenyans voted for the other three candidates with the closest garnering 6.9 million. This means half of this population is celebrating while the other half is mourning.

Those who lost are heartbroken, a natural consequence. That is a lot of Kenyans requiring catharsis, cajoling and healing. They must be embraced because our country cannot move forward without them.

Everyone is looking up to the President-elect to heal, reconcile, unite and quickly get every Kenyan including those who didn't vote for him to pull together toward nation-building.

The national cake is baked by supporters of the four presidential candidates and that cake should be shared equally to ensure no Kenyan is left behind irrespective of their political allegiances.

Uniting Kenyans will ensure we escape from the yoke of perpetual politicking and electioneering and the practice of winner-takes-all can actually end with this election if there is sufficient political will.

Success should also be in the journey to the win, making champions out of every player/participant, that is the essence of democracy. Inclusiveness and consensus building will bring unity and reconciliation faster because they address everyone's fears and concerns.

The effects of lengthy electioneering have increased inflation and lowered the value of the shilling raising interest rates and cost of living exponentially, almost beyond reach for most Kenyans.

Since 2019, global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent war in Ukraine have weakened livelihoods and made destitute, the majority of people. Many Kenyans have also lost confidence and trust in themselves and their government and are hurting because of this and the effects of prolonged politics of ethnic balkanisation and negativity.

The next few days will be a turning point for Kenyans and this should be handled with incredible humility and grace. The President-elect is therefore expected to unify and reassure all Kenyans that he means business and will keep his promises.

-Join the conversation @Koki_Muli @StandardKenya.