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Kenya elections: police and opposition supporters clash Kenyan president says he is willing to negotiate after election boycott
(35 minutes later)
Three people have died in clashes between opposition supporters and police in Kenya as voters headed to the polls in a contentious election rerun that has polarised the country. President Uhuru Kenyatta has raised the prospect of negotiations with his opponent as millions of Kenyans voted in a contentious election rerun marred by a widely observed boycott and sporadic violence.
Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, called for a boycott and in stark contrast to the first election, which the supreme court annulled last month, many polling stations in opposition strongholds received only a trickle of voters. Three people died as opposition supporters and police clashed outside polling stations, forcing election officials to postpone voting in parts of the country until Saturday.
In areas loyal to the incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta voting was brisk, though turnout appeared to be lower than for the previous election. The election rerun is the latest twist in a long and increasingly chaotic political saga, which has polarised the country, and looks unlikely to end soon.
One man was shot dead and three others injured during protests in Odinga’s western stronghold of Kisumu. Another was killed in the Mathare slum in the capital, Nairobi. Before voting began, Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, called on supporters to stay at home, leaving polling stations in his strongholds almost empty, in stark contrast to the first election, which the supreme court annulled last month.
In Nairobi’s Kibera slum, tangled wire and charred streets marked the spots where sporadic outbreaks of violence took place overnight. Voting was brisk in areas loyal to Kenyatta, though even here turnout appeared to be significantly lower than for the previous election in August.
Police fired teargas and live rounds into the air as crowds of youthful opposition supporters threw rocks and tried to storm a polling station at a primary school in the centre of the slum. Two people were injured with suspected bullet wounds. “It is important to vote because the current problems are not helpful and we should finish this thing and go back to the routine,” said Peter Mwanda, a 32-year-old businessman after voting in Roysambu, a neighbourhood in eastern Nairobi.
Kenyatta held out the prospect of negotiations with Odinga after casting his own vote.
“As a responsible leader you must reach out and that is my intention,” the 55-year-old, who has been in power since 2013, told reporters.
Observers pointed out, however, that Kenyatta had used similar words after his victory in the August polls but no meaningful dialogue between the rivals had followed.
One man was shot dead and three others injured during protests in Odinga’s western stronghold of Kisumu. Another was killed in the Mathare slum in the capital, Nairobi, where scattered clashes continued into the early evening.
Senior police officers said the vote had passed off smoothly in most of the country and warned that any attempt to interfere with the transport of ballot papers to counting stations would be met by “stern action”.
Kenya's election on Thursday is unlikely to bring a resolution to the ongoing political crisis in the east African country.
So far, neither Uhuru Kenyatta – who is assured of victory in the re-run of the polls – nor veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who withdrew from the election and told his supporters not to vote, has shown much willingness to compromise. Kenya is as polarised as it has been for a decade. This means more protests are likely, as well as multiple challenges in the courts over the most recent poll results. 
More violence is probable. Most analysts believe anarchy like that after elections in 2007, when more than 1,000 people died, is unlikely but not impossible.
However, this prospect may prompt Kenyatta and Odinga to do a deal. Both are aware that the longer their stand-off lasts, the more damage is done to the country they both profess to serve. But both appear willing to take Kenya to the brink before finally, perhaps, stepping back from disaster.
In Nairobi’s Kibera slum, police fired teargas and live rounds into the air as crowds of youthful opposition supporters threw rocks and tried to storm a polling station at a primary school. Two people were injured with suspected bullet wounds.
“It is a sham election ... We will keep fighting until we have Raila as president,” said Brighton, a 21-year-old Kibera resident.“It is a sham election ... We will keep fighting until we have Raila as president,” said Brighton, a 21-year-old Kibera resident.
Similar scenes were repeated in the western towns of Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay, where a third person died. Inside the primary school, officials waited for ballot papers – which finally arrived under heavy police guard five hours late.
The electoral commission said voting would be delayed until Saturday in Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya due to “security challenges”. “The environment is not welcoming. There is no one willing to come and vote. The staff too are a bit scared to be here because we have been warned that people will come and identify us and there will be problems,” said the presiding officer, a local teacher who requested anonymity for security reasons.
The election is the latest act of a chaotic political drama that began when the supreme court overturned the victory of Kenyatta in the election on 8 August. It cited irregularities and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Around a quarter of the 180 electoral officials due to work in Kibera have resigned after intimidation in recent days, several said.
Kenyatta is assured victory after the veteran Odinga withdrew, citing fears the poll would be marred by the same flaws that saw the August vote overturned. As rocks hammered on the school’s tin roof, shots rang out and teargas filled the air, a second official said her “husband, father, son and brother” were among the protesters.
The boycott, in an acrimonious political environment marked by violence and intimidation, is likely to tarnish the credibility of Kenyatta’s victory and the result will inevitably face further legal challenges, analysts say. “These are our homes, our families ... whoever is being attacked [by police] out there is being attacked in here,” she said.
Hilda Nyaga, the deputy presiding officer at the Social Grounds polling station on the edge of Kibera, said she had seen fewer than 50 voters since 6am. “Last time it was so busy there were very long queues. Now it is very quiet,” she said. Not all local residents shared such sentiments, underlining the deep divisions exposed by the political crisis.
Contrary to expectations, preparations had run smoothly for the polls and her team had all the necessary equipment, she said. Other election officials, however, said there had been a wave of resignations of colleagues working in and around Kibera on Wednesday following threats and intimidation. About a quarter of the 180 electoral officials due to work in Kibera have resigned in recent days, they said.
Isaac Konyango, the deputy presiding officer of a polling station at the Raila education centre, said his site had been shut down by a crowd of opposition supporters at about 9am on Thursday and would not reopen. “There is no going back,” he said.
No one had voted at the Olympic primary school polling station, where missiles hurled by protestors bounced off the building’s roof and teargas filled the air.
“People are scared,” said the presiding officer, a local teacher who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals.
In Kisumu, several polling stations failed to open and police fired teargas to disperse groups of young men throwing stones. The returning officer for Kisumu Central said no voting materials had been distributed and only three of his 400 staff had turned up for work.
In a statement on Thursday, Odinga said the opposition would press for fresh elections that it deemed credible. The day before, he called for a campaign of civil disobedience and resistance, telling several thousand supporters in the centre of Nairobi that the polls were a sham and amounted to a coup d’etat by Kenyatta.
Abdul Majiid, a 64-year-old retired machine operator, said he had voted for Kenyatta at the Social Grounds polling station in Kibera.Abdul Majiid, a 64-year-old retired machine operator, said he had voted for Kenyatta at the Social Grounds polling station in Kibera.
“I had no problems and I had no worries. It is my right as per the constitution. I voted for the president. Progress in Kenya is very good. We have new railways, new roads, lots of things,” he said.“I had no problems and I had no worries. It is my right as per the constitution. I voted for the president. Progress in Kenya is very good. We have new railways, new roads, lots of things,” he said.
Speaking after voting on Thursday, Kenyatta said the poll showed Kenya was “maturing as a democracy”. The electoral commission said voting would be delayed until Saturday in Kisumu, Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay, where a third person died on Thursday, due to “security challenges”.
The rerun election is the latest act of a political drama that began when the supreme court overturned Kenyatta’s victory in the election on 8 August. The president, in power since 2013, won the poll by nine points but judges cited irregularities and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The ruling, unprecedented in Africa, was hailed as a victory for democracy on the continent.
Odinga then withdrew from the rerun, citing fears the poll would be marred by the same flaws that saw the August vote overturned.
The opposition boycott is likely to tarnish the credibility of Kenyatta’s victory and the result will inevitably face further legal challenges, analysts say.
There had been widespread fears that logistical and technological problems would cripple the poll. However officials said they were fully prepared for the vote and their teams had all the necessary equipment.
“There have been no problems. Everything has been smooth,” said Peter Karioke, presiding officer at the Kiboro primary school in Mathare, Nairobi.
Kenya’s supreme court said on Wednesday it could not consider a petition to postpone the controversial vote because not enough justices were available to form a quorum.Kenya’s supreme court said on Wednesday it could not consider a petition to postpone the controversial vote because not enough justices were available to form a quorum.
Odinga’s claims of vote-rigging after his defeat in 2007 elections prompted rioting and retaliation by the security forces which tipped the country into its worst crisis for decades. About 1,200 people were killed in the ethnic violence that followed. Hours later, Odinga called for a campaign of civil disobedience and resistance, telling several thousand supporters in the centre of Nairobi that the polls amounted to a coup d’etat” by Kenyatta.
Odinga’s claims of vote rigging after his defeat in 2007 elections prompted rioting and retaliation by security forces which tipped the country into its worst crisis for decades. About 1,200 people were killed in the ethnic violence that followed.
Many Kenyans say the potential for violence has been reduced, because the country has learned from its earlier traumatic experiences. Though 70 people are thought to have been killed in violence since the August poll, widespread clashes have been avoided.Many Kenyans say the potential for violence has been reduced, because the country has learned from its earlier traumatic experiences. Though 70 people are thought to have been killed in violence since the August poll, widespread clashes have been avoided.