Fears of violence delay Kenyan vote in opposition areas

NAIROBI, Kenya — Fears of further bloodshed led Kenya’s election commission to postpone voting planned for today in some opposition strongholds, citing safety concerns for staffers as deadly clashes continued between police and protesters.

It was the second voting delay in four out of Kenya’s 47 counties, highlighting the bitter divisions and political uncertainty that have intensified after Thursday’s repeat presidential election, which was boycotted by supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga.

At least six people have died in violence linked to the election, including a man who was shot and killed in the Nairobi slum of Kawangware as security forces moved to quell fighting between gangs from ethnic groups late Friday, according to police.

Earlier in the day, stone-throwing protesters in Kawangware who support Odinga clashed with police who fired tear gas and water cannon. The rioters, some belonging to the Luo ethnic group, looted shops and set fire to a kiosk owned by an ethnic Kikuyu. Gangs with machetes then moved into the area, seeking revenge for the kiosk attack. One man with a severe wound from a machete blow lay bleeding on the ground, witnesses said.

Many observers say Kenya’s ethnic-based politics overshadow the promise of its democracy. President Uhuru Kenyatta, who got 54 per cent of the vote in an Aug. 8 presidential election that was later nullified by the Supreme Court over irregularities, is from the Kikuyu community. Odinga, who got nearly 45 per cent in the earlier election, is a Luo.

Odinga’s legal challenge led to the nullification of the August vote. He then withdrew from the new election, saying the process was not credible because of the lack of electoral reforms.

Friday’s announcement by election commission chairman Wafula Chebukati that voting will not occur in several opposition areas on Saturday followed warnings from opposition leaders that they would not participate, fearing a police crackdown. “This is our polling station here but we won’t vote, come what may,” said R. Samson Odhiambo, a resident of Kisumu, Kenya’s third-largest city and an opposition stronghold.

The election commission did not say when the voting will now take place in the four counties, increasing uncertainty about when final results from Thursday’s election will be announced in the East African economic power.

Thursday’s vote had a sharply lower turnout because of the opposition boycott. About 6.5 million people, or one-third of registered voters, went to the polls, according to the election commission. Nearly 80 per cent of registered voters participated in the August election.

The Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the earlier vote was the first time a court in Africa had overturned a presidential election. The ruling was sharply criticized by Kenyatta, who seeks a second term. After voting Thursday, he said he will work to unify the country if re-elected.