Kenya elections marked by tension, violence after Opposition claims rigging
Kenya nervously awaited the final results of its presidential election, with the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta holding a strong lead after a vote marred by opposition claims of rigging and the death of several people
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Kenya nervously awaited the final results of its presidential election on Thursday, with incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta holding a strong lead after a vote marred by Opposition’s claims of rigging and the death of several people. AP
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Tensions were high in the east African nation, where a decade ago, post-poll bloodshed left 1,100 people dead. It remained unclear whether final results would be officially published on Thursday. Under Kenya’s electoral law, the definitive results must be published within a week of polling. AP
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A longtime government adversary making what is likely his last bid for office, Raila Odinga, is trailing Kenyatta, according to a provisional count of Tuesday’s ballot, released by the electoral commission (IEBC). Odinga carried 44.8 percent of the vote to Kenyatta’s 54.3 percent with 97 percent of polling stations reporting. AP
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Odinga charged that hackers broke into IEBC’s systems and rigged the count — an allegation that fuelled uncertainty in what was already a tight race. The claim was denied by IEBC chief executive Ezra Chiloba, who said on Wednesday that the crucial electronic voting system — seen as a key to avoiding fraud — had not been compromised. AP
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Odinga also claimed the hacking attack happened because someone obtained the identity of top electoral commission official Chris Msando, who was found tortured and murdered late last month. His other complaint was that results streaming in electronically had yet to be backed up by a scanned copy of tallies from the constituencies. IEBC says those forms are on their way and results on its public website should not be considered final until they’ve been cross-checked. AP
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Clashes with protesters left two people dead in Nairobi’s Mathare slum. The capital’s police chief said officers opened fire after they were attacked by men wielding machetes. In the southeastern Tana river region, police killed two people after a group of five stormed a vote-tallying centre and stabbed one person. AP
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The contest between Odinga and Kenyatta was seen by pollsters as too close to call ahead of the vote. This is the second time the two men have faced off in a presidential election, a dynastic rivalry that has lasted more than half a century since their fathers Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Odinga went from being allies in the struggle for independence to bitter rivals. AP
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