OPPOSITION DEMANDS ODINGA IS DECLARED PRESIDENTIAL VICTOR
▶ Poll observers in Kenya say challenger’s claims of vote-fixing are not supported by evidence
Kenya’s opposition yesterday demanded that veteran leader Raila Odinga be declared the winner of the presidential election, even though the official count of the ballots gave incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta a commanding lead.
Musalia Mudavadi, a senior official in the opposition coalition, said information from “confidential sources” at the election commission showed Mr Odinga had secured victory by about 300,000 votes, but provided no evidence.
The opposition claim came after the chairman of Kenya’s election commission said its database had been targeted by a hacking attempt, contradicting allegations by Mr Odinga that hackers were able to infiltrate the system and manipulate results against him.
International observers yesterday praised the handling of the election, and the European Union mission said it had seen no sign of manipulation in Tuesday’s vote.
Provisional results showed Mr Kenyatta had won 54.3 per cent of votes, ahead of Mr Odinga on 44.8 per cent – a lead of 1.4 million votes with 97 per cent of polling stations reported.
Election-related violence led to four deaths on Wednesday, although the capital Nairobi and most of the country were mainly calm yesterday.
In its first assessment of Tuesday’s poll, the EU election observer mission said it had seen no signs of “centralised or localised manipulation”.
Marietje Schaake, head of the mission, said the EU would provide an analysis of the tallying process in a later report.
John Kerry, the former US secretary of state heading the Carter Centre observer mission, said the election system, which is ultimately based on the original paper ballots cast, remained solid and all sides should wait for electronic tallies to be double-checked against hard copies.
“The process that was put in place is proving its value thus far,” Mr Kerry said. “Kenya has made a remarkable statement to Africa and the world about its democracy and the character of that democracy. Don’t let anybody besmirch that.”
Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president in charge of the Africa Union observer mission, also praised the poll. “It would be very regrettable if anything emerges afterwards that sought to corrupt the outcome, to spoil that outcome,” he said.
As they wait for final results to be tallied and confirmed, many Kenyans are nervous of a repeat of the clashes that killed about 1,200 people after a bitterly contested 2007 election.
Protests erupted in opposition strongholds in Nairobi and the city of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, on Wednesday, where demonstrators burnt tyres in the streets.
Police shot dead one protester in Nairobi. One person was killed by a gang that attacked a tally centre in Tana River county and police shot dead two of the assailants.
Yesterday, some market stalls and shops were open in Kisumu and more vehicles were on the street than a day earlier. A group of labourers sitting in the shade said they were eager for daily life to return.
“We don’t want to fight,” said driver Evans Omondi, 28. “We want to go back to work.”
The men said they were worried by Mr Odinga’s allegations but said they could not afford the consequences of violence.
Mr Kenyatta, 55, seeking a second five-year term, has held a lead of 10 per cent from the start of counting after a hard-fought contest between the heads of Kenya’s political dynasties.
Mr Odinga contested and lost Kenya’s last two elections, which he also said were rigged. He has urged his supporters to remain calm but said: “I don’t control the people.”
He posted 50 pages of computer logs online to support his hacking claim, but they were inconclusive, said Matt Bernhard, who studies computer security in election systems at the University of Michigan.
In 2007, tallying was halted and the incumbent declared the winner, triggering an outcry from Mr Odinga’s camp and violence that led to International Criminal Court charges against Mr Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto. The cases against them collapsed as witnesses died or disappeared.
Kenya has made a remarkable statement to Africa and the world Don’t let anybody besmirch that