Chaos at Kenyatta swearing in

SUPPORTERS TEAR-GASSED FORCING THEIR WAY INTO THE STADIUM

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in yesterday for a second term as police fired tear gas to disperse angry opposition supporters.

But in another part of Nairobi police engaged in running battles with opposition supporters gathering for a rally. Opposition leader Raila Odinga was meant to attend the “memorial rally” to honour more than 50 people killed, mostly by police, in four months of political upheaval. But police sealed off the venue.

Chaos also marked the start of the swearing-in ceremony at the 60 000-seat Kasarani stadium, as Kenyatta supporters attempted to force their way in, prompting police to fire tear gas while officers on horseback struggled to curb the flow of people.

Joseph Irungu of the interior ministry planning committee had said there was space for 40 000 people who did not get in to watch the event on big screens outside the stadium. However, no such screens were provided.

Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto took the oaths of office in front of 13 mostly African heads of state, including from South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and Somalia. Prime ministers, foreign ministers and special envoys represented other African nations, as well as Qatar, Serbia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.

The inauguration came after the Supreme Court validated Kenyatta’s victory in last month’s rerun poll. But analysts say the swearing-in may not draw a line under the political crisis, for his defeated rival Raila Odinga has vowed to fight on. The opposition coalition described yesterday’s inauguration as a “despotic coronation”.

The electoral strife goes back to an August 8 poll that was annulled in September by the Supreme Court, citing irregularities and illegalities. The court ordered a rerun in October that was boycotted by the opposition, handing Kenyatta a landslide of 98% of votes cast by 39% of the electorate. Odinga, 72, contends he was cheated and refuses to recognise the result. He has vowed to found a “third republic” and pursue protests and economic boycotts to undermine Kenyatta’s “dictatorship”. – AFP

Picture: Reuters HUMAN FLOOD. People fall as police fire tear gas to try and control a crowd forcing their way in to attend the inauguration of President Uhuru Kenyatta at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi yesterday.