The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Raila Odinga

  • Row over spoiled Kenyan votes

    A row has broken out in Kenya over whether spoiled ballots should be included in the presidential vote count following tightly contested polls, BBC reports.

    The coalition of candidate Uhuru Kenyatta accused the United Kingdom of playing a “shadowy” role by trying to deny him outright victory in Monday’s vote.

    There have been severe delays in counting as the electronic system has crashed. Early results put Mr. Kenyatta ahead of his rival Raila Odinga.

    On Tuesday, the election commission said the rejected votes would be included in the final tally – which could determine whether there is a presidential run-off.

    So far about 6 per cent of the total votes counted are spoilt ballots – well over double the number of votes cast for the third-placed candidate, Musailia Mudavadi.

    With provisional results in from more than 40 per cent of polling stations earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Odinga had 42 per cent of the vote compared with Mr. Kenyatta’s 53 per cent.

    More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Mr. Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, who is stepping down after two terms in office.

    Mr. Kenyatta is due to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) next month after he was accused of fuelling the violence to increase Mr. Kibaki’s chances of staying in power.

    He says the trial is politically motivated and he will clear his name in court.

     

  • Kenyan poll: Kenyatta in early lead over Odinga

    Kenyan poll: Kenyatta in early lead over Odinga

    Kenyans are awaiting results in their country’s presidential election, after millions cast their votes on Monday.

    With about a third of polling stations reporting, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta held an early lead over his main rival, PM Raila Odinga.

    The head of the electoral commission emphasised these were provisional figures and urged Kenyans to wait patiently for the final outcome.

    In 2007, more than 1,000 people were killed in post-election violence, BBC reports.

    Clashes broke out after Mr. Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki.

    Violence has also marred the current election, with at least 19 people killed on Monday – mainly in coastal attacks attributed to separatists.

    The media urged Kenyans to put their faith in the electoral process.

    The election was a “turning point” whose outcome would determine whether Kenya would move forward as a “civilised state”, said a Daily Nation editorial.

    “We must all be ready to accept the election results without resorting to extra-judicial means of ascending to power.”

    Kenyans are also choosing members of parliament and senators, county governors and members of the 47 newly formed county assemblies.

    By early Tuesday, Mr. Kenyatta of the Jubilee alliance had established a lead over Mr. Odinga, who heads the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (Cord).

    With 35.8 per cent of polling stations reporting at 11:30 Nairobi time (08:30 GMT), the 51-year-old deputy prime minister had 2.31m votes, or 55 per cent, while the 68-year-old prime minister had 1.73m, or 41 per cent, said the website of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).