Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Tuesday conceded his defeat in the referendum over the proposed new constitution, saying that the government respects the verdict that the draft bill is not acceptable to majority of Kenyans.

In a television and radio address to the nation from state house, Kibaki said there were no winners or losers in the referendum as the objective of the important process was to determine the people's choice and that choice has been made.

"The people have made a choice and as I have always said, my government would respect the choice of the people," he said.

Shortly after the president made his speech, Samuel Kivuitu, chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) officially announced that the "NO" camp has won in the referendum.

With most of the ballots counted, opponents of the draft constitution have an unassailable lead of more than a million votes.

The latest results given by the ECK show that opponents of the proposed charter had won 3,548,477 votes, or 57 percent of ballots that had been counted by Tuesday afternoon. Supporters garnered 2, 532,918 votes, or 43 percent.

The results were from 196 of Kenya's 210 constituencies. The remaining 14 constituencies have a total registered votes of 524, 234 and includes two constituencies voting today in North Eastern.

The president commended all voters for participating peacefully in the historic referendum, saying it was a major leap in the consolidation of democratic governance in the country.

He said by casting their vote in a peaceful manner, Kenyans have shown their respect for constitutional and legal processes, adding that the current constitution will continue to remain in force, and therefore, there is no vacuum.

"Any future initiatives in this regard will have to be in accordance with the Constitution and the law," he said.

President Kibaki said the debate, which has surrounded the referendum, made it clear that the people of Kenya have accorded high priority to the development agenda.

Noting that a lot of energy and resources have been spent on the constitutional debate and the politics associated with it, the president said it is now time for Kenyans to refocus their energies more intensively to development.

He said his government will concentrate on the delivery of the commitments to the development agenda and urged wananchi (citizens) to continue with the way they have lived as Kenyans, which is an envy to many.

Source: Xinhua