KISUMU,
Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyans who boycotted a repeat presidential election voiced
relief on Saturday after authorities indefinitely delayed fur
ther attempts to
hold the vote in some opposition areas due to the risk of violence.
But while
the election board’s decision stemmed the prospect of more clashes, it also
pushed to the fore a new question: can President Uhuru Kenyatta be declared
winner of a vote in which ballots were not cast in more than 20 of Kenya’s 290
constituencies?
Two days
after polling in the rest of the country, voting had been due to take place in
four counties where residents blocked roads and clashed with police as part of
an opposition boycott. The board ditched the plan late on Friday.
“I‘m happy
because we need peace, we are tired of being brutally killed by the police,”
said Henry Kahango, a father of three, in the western city of Kisumu.
Police
officials have said repeatedly that their response to the political unrest is
proportionate.
Kenyatta has
won more than 97 percent of votes counted so far, according to a local media
tally. But with turnout estimated below 35 percent and the country deeply
divided, his hopes for a decisive mandate to lead east Africa’s richest economy
have been quashed. [nL8N1N23QS]
Opposition
leader Raila Odinga pulled out of the contest, a rerun called after August’s
election was annulled by the Supreme Court over procedural irregularities. He
said the contest against Kenyatta was not going to be fair.
Odinga won
44.7 percent of the vote then, on a turnout of nearly 80 percent. In Thursday’s
vote, Kenyatta faced six minor candidates, none of whom won more than 1 percent
in August.
Deputy
president William Ruto, Kenyatta’s running mate sought on Saturday to declare
victory and discount the opposition: “Evidently it doesn’t matter how
powerful/popular one or their party imagines to be, the repeat elections
confirm the PEOPLE ARE SUPREME,” he tweeted.
LEGAL
CHALLENGE
The first
legal challenge came less than 24 hours after Thursday’s vote, when an activist
filed a case seeking to nullify the election, which the opposition rejected as
a “sham”.
Neither of
the two main parties, nor the election board had any appearances scheduled on
Saturday, leaving the country waiting for the next step as the votes are
counted.
If the
expected legal challenges fail to clear a path out of the crisis, including a
possible order for another rerun, the result will be the continuation of a
protracted and economically damaging stalemate between the Kenyatta and Odinga
camps.
The
electoral saga is polarizing the nation and slowing growth in what has been one
of Africa’s most vibrant economies, as well as a regional trade hub and a
powerful security ally for Western nations. A decade ago, 1,200 Kenyans were
killed in violence after a disputed poll.
In Odinga
strongholds, such as Kisumu, residents had defiantly blocked roads, clashed
with police, and intimidated election officials to prevent voting on Thursday.
They accused
authorities of trying to “force” participation.
“This is
pure oppression,” said Hassan Hussein, a Muslim community leader. “The law says
if you want to vote, you vote, if not, you don‘t.”
In a
statement on Saturday, the IEBC election board condemned what it said was
harassment by a member of parliament on “an IEBC official performing his
duties” after a video went viral on social media, further stirring anger
online.
The MP,
Alice Wahome, who is a member of the ruling Jubilee party’s coalition, told
Kenya’s Standard newspaper the returning officer had refused to sign off the
necessary paperwork and was seeking to leave, having “snatched the forms from
other agents”.
Anger at
police is flaring in opposition areas in western counties, Nairobi slums and
the coastal city of Mombasa.
“People from
this region are feeling isolated from the rest of the country,” said Eric
Chitayi, a security guard in Kisumu. “We are feeling disconnected.”
Pastor Fred
Olando from Kisumu, describing how water cannon trucks and anti-riot police had
been patrolling day and night in his neighborhood: “We fear this government and
these police.”
Violence has
killed at least five people since Thursday’s vote. People died from gunshot
wounds and beatings by police, according to hospital staff.
In the
aftermath of the August election, at least 45 people died during a police
crackdown on opposition supporters, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International.
On Friday
evening in the Nairobi slum of Kawangware, a Reuters witness saw nearly 100
youths armed with machetes in red T-shirts - the color of the ruling party - as
a group of opposition supporters clashed with police.
In the
western town of Migori, another scene of clashes, a local journalist said
police assaulted him on Saturday morning. “They removed me from my home, I
produced my press card, and they slapped me and beat me with a baton,” said
Caleb Kingwara, a photographer for Kenya’s Standard newspaper.
The European
Union said in a statement: “It is imperative that the security forces provide
protection to all citizens and avoid the excessive use of force.”
Map of
election-related deaths immediately following the Aug. 8 polls: tmsnrt.rs/2lajbuV
A timeline
of political events: tmsnrt.rs/2lblWfn
Chart of
results showing official results from last three elections: tmsnrt.rs/2hVLgV3
Interactive
election graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2fbG3Yg
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