 The main contenders were incumbent President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki and his former ally Raila Odinga.The election was strongly marked by tribalism, with Kibaki coming from the most numerous Kikuyu ethnic group which has dominated Kenyan politics since independence and Odinga an ethnic Luo allied with other smaller ethnic groups.Kibaki was declared the winner and sworn in on 30 December, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claims of victory.