Outgoing Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Saturday lodged a formal legal challenge over the outcome of presidential elections that saw him defeated by his rival Uhuru Kenyatta. The move will be seen as a test of democracy in Kenya, which was rocked by bloody violence after the last disputed polls in 2007, when more than 1,100 were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

By Drazen Jorgic and Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI (Reuters) - Defeated presidential contender Raila Odinga challenged his election loss in court on Saturday, alleging widespread ballot rigging in a fresh test of Kenyan democracy five years after a disputed vote triggered deadly tribal violence. Shortly before the petition was filed, police outside the Supreme Court fired teargas to disperse a rally of around 100 Odinga backers. They were urged by the outgoing prime minister to stay calm and trust in the law to resolve his complaint.

The party of Kenya's outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga, defeated in presidential polls by Uhuru Kenyatta, will file a petition challenging the election result on Friday, officials said. "We are currently in the final stages of preparing our presidential election petition at the Supreme Court," Odinga party official and former justice minister Mutula Kilonzo told reporters Thursday. "We want to thank hundreds of brave Kenyans from across the country who have courageously come forward to provide us with information on the anomalies in the presidential elections."

Kenya's outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga, defeated in last week's presidential polls by Uhuru Kenyatta, was preparing his Supreme Court appeal alleging fraud, officials said Monday. The March 4 general elections -- for the presidency, regional governors, senators, members of parliament as well as local councillors -- were marred by allegations of vote rigging.