Kenyan poll result disputed
KENYA: Opposition leader Raila Odinga rejected early results from Kenya’s presidential election yesterday that showed he was losing to incumbent and long-time rival Uhuru Kenyatta, stoking fears his disgruntled supporters could take to the streets.
Kenyatta, a 55-year-old businessman seeking a second fiveyear term, had held a lead since the start of counting after Tuesday’s peaceful vote, the culmination of a hard-fought contest between the heads of Kenya’s two political dynasties.
But Odinga, a 72-year-old former political prisoner and selfdescribed leftist, rejected the results as ‘‘fictitious’’ and ‘‘fake’’, lashing out in a late night news conference at which he said his party’s own tally put him ahead.
‘‘We have our projections from our agents which show we are ahead by far,’’ Odinga said, questioning why published results were not accompanied by scanned copies of forms signed by all party agents polling stations.
Kenyan law states that where there is a discrepancy between a result on the website and the form, the result on the form will be considered final.
Alleging vote-rigging, he also brought up the unsolved torture and murder of a top election offic- in ial just over a week before the vote.
‘‘We fear this was exactly the reason Chris Msando was assassinated,’’ he said.
Odinga’s comments carry ominous echoes of 2007 when he cried foul in an election marred by major irregularities. About 1200 people were killed in a campaign of ethnic violence that followed.
Crimes against humanity charges brought by the International Criminal Court against Kenyatta and William Ruto, now his deputy, were withdrawn after witnesses died or disappeared.
– Reuters