Las Vegas Review-Journal

Kenyans urged to skip work on Monday

Opposition leader calls for followers to protest

- By Ben Curtis and Christophe­r Torchia The Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga urged his supporters to skip work on Monday to protest what he charged were rigged elections that gave victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The government denounced violent demonstrat­ions as unlawful and urged Kenyans to return to their jobs.

Odinga spoke on Sunday to a cheering crowd in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, an opposition stronghold and a frequent scene of clashes between stone-throwing protesters and police firing live ammunition and tear gas since the Aug. 8 election in which President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner. Odinga’s defiance fueled continuing uncertaint­y in Kenya, an East African economic hub whose reputation for stability has been shaken by election violence and court challenges in the past.

“There is no work until Tuesday, when we will announce the next step,” said Odinga, who previously claimed that last week’s vote was rigged and has unsuccessf­ully run for president on three previous occasions. Kenya’s election commission said its process was fair, and internatio­nal observers praised its handling of the election in this country of 45 million people.

Late Sunday, machete-wielding members of two rival ethnic groups — Luos and Kikuyus — confronted each other in Mathare, another Nairobi slum, witnesses said. An Associated Press journalist in the area said he saw a Luo who had a deep machete cut in his head after he was attacked by Kikuyus.

While most of Kenya has been calm since the election, the possibilit­y of an outbreak of ethnic violence has been a concern because many Kenyans vote along ethnic lines. Kenyatta is a Kikuyu; Odinga is a Luo.

More than 1,000 people died in ethnic-fueled violence following Kenya’s 2007 election. Odinga was the losing candidate in that vote, and was later made prime minister in a power-sharing agreement designed to defuse tension.

 ?? Ben Curtis ?? The Associated Press Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga gestures to supporters gathered Sunday in Nairobi, Kenya. Odinga condemned police killings of rioters during protests after the country’s disputed election and is urging supporters to skip work...
Ben Curtis The Associated Press Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga gestures to supporters gathered Sunday in Nairobi, Kenya. Odinga condemned police killings of rioters during protests after the country’s disputed election and is urging supporters to skip work...

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