Election officials in Kenya start hand counting ballots

Nairobi: Election officials in Kenya are counting by hand the ballots from the nation’s presidential election after abandoning the electronic tabulation system which has posted early returns.

Observers from around the world said pn Wednesday that Kenya carried out a credible election on Monday, but the groups reserved final judgments until the counting process is completed.

Kenyans on Monday held their first presidential vote since the nation’s disputed vote in 2007 spawned violence that killed more than 1,000 people.

Government officials have been working to ensure violence doesn’t break out this time. The breakdown of the electronic vote system has meant less than half of results have been released, and officials are calling on the public to remain patient.

AP