Kenya's 5th President elect, William Ruto - Courtesy

Kenyan deputy president, William Ruto has been declared the winner of the country’s 2022 presidential elections.

Ruto garnered 50.4% votes while his challenger, Raila Odinga had 48.8% votes.

The results were announced by the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission.

Prior to the announcement, fighting emerged between supporters of presidential hopeful Raila and Ruto at the tallying center in Bomas of Kenya.

Former Prime Minister Rail Odinga absented himself from the centers with the party members complaining about unfinished verification of votes.

Speaking after the results, President-elect William Ruto thanked Kenyans for choosing him as the 5^th President.

Born on 21^st December 1966, William Samoei Arap Ruto is a Kenyan politician serving as the Deputy President of Kenya since 2013.

Ruto is the United Democratic Alliance presidential candidate in the 2022 presidential election.

He joined politics in 1992, having been mentored, he says, by then-President Daniel Arap Moi.

Ruto was a Member of Parliament from 1998 to 2013. He served as Minister for Home Affairs in the Daniel Arap Moi administration from August to December 2002.

He later served in the Mwai Kibaki administration as Minister of Agriculture from 2008 to 2010 and as Minister for Higher Education from April to October 2010.

After holding various ministerial posts – including education – he rose to the deputy president after the 2013 election.

Ruto was elected the Deputy President alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta under the Jubilee Alliance ticket.

Mr. Ruto contested that election as the running mate of outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, shocking many Kenyans as they had been on opposite sides of the political spectrum in the previous election.

According to BBC report, Ruto has been linked to corruption scandals in government and the source of his wealth is a subject of much speculation.

In June 2013, the High Court ordered him to surrender a 100-acre (40-hectare) farm and compensate a farmer who had accused him of grabbing the land during the 2007 post-election violence.

He denies any wrongdoing and continues to appeal to young voters with a promise to give them opportunities to improve their lives, just as he did.

In December 2010, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he was seeking the summons of six people, including Ruto, over their involvement in the 2007–8 electoral violence.

Ruto was accused of planning and organizing crimes against supporters of President Kibaki’s Party of National Unity.