Kenya on alert for election days attacks

‘Prove prophets of doom wrong’

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 3, (AP): Five years after more than 1,000 people were killed in electionrelated violence, Kenyans on Monday will begin casting votes in a nationwide election seen as the country’s most important — and complicated — in its 50-year history.

Clerics across Kenya gave sermons dedicated to peace on Sunday, and urged the country to prove wrong the “prophets of doom” who predict violence.

A barrier to a peaceful vote is that the country faces so many potential triggers of violence. The police issued an alert late Sunday that criminals were planning to dress in police uniforms and disrupt voting in some locations.

In addition, intelligence on the Somali-Kenya border indicated Somali militants planned to launch attacks on the polls; a secessionist group on the coast is threatening attacks; the tribes of the top two presidential candidates have a long history of tense relations; and 47 new governor races are being held, increasing the chances of electoral problems at the local level.

Perhaps most importantly, Uhuru Kenyatta, one of two top candidates for president, faces charges at the International Criminal Court for orchestrating the 2007-08 postelection violence. If he wins, the US and Europe could scale back relations with Kenya, and Kenyatta may have to spend a significant portion of his presidency at The Hague.

Kenyatta’s running mate, William Ruto, also faces charges at the ICC.