Kenya awaits Odinga’s move following poll boycott

Kenya was once again left waiting Tuesday, as embattled opposition leader Raila Odinga prepared to lay out his strategy following a boycott of last week’s protest-hit elections that handed President Uhuru Kenyatta a landslide win.

Thursday’s contest saw Kenyatta winning with 98 percent of the votes cast. He hailed the result as vindication of his triumph in an initial August poll which was later overturned by the country’s Supreme Court.

However, the turnout was only 38.8 percent, marring the credibility of a vote that has deeply polarized the East African nation, sparking months of bitter infighting, legal wrangling and violent protest. “This was nothing more than a revalidation of [the voters’] general will,” said Kenyatta.

The vote was the chaotic climax of two months of political drama and acrimony after the Supreme Court overturned Kenyatta’s victory in August 8 polls over widespread irregularities and mismanagement by the IEBC, Kenya’s electoral commission.

Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper said the Kenyatta and his Jubilee party must prioritize national reconciliation through dialogue with Odinga to find “an inclusive system that reflects the face of the nation.”

“The country must avoid violence. National Super Alliance, which has been rooting for civil disobedience, must rethink its strategy. It is not tenable to continue with street protests at a time the nation is bleeding and hurting,” it said.