Top court upholds leader’s election

NAIROBI — Kenya’s Supreme Court rejected bids Monday to invalidate last month’s rerun presidential election, closing one front in the country’s deepening political battles but touching off fresh unrest among opponents of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The court’s chief justice, David Maraga, said there was no legal merit to support the challenges against the outcome of the Oct. 26 election in which Kenyatta coasted to victory amid a boycott by his main rival, Raila Odinga.

The vote was forced after the same high court stunned Kenya in September by nullifying the results of the original August presidential election won by Kenyatta, citing voting irregularities.

The latest decision cleared the way for Kenyatta’s inauguration next week. But it also highlighted the volatile mix of tribal and political fissures that threaten further unrest in a country that has been anchor of relative stability and economic growth in East Africa.

Shortly after the court decision, violence broke out in the Nairobi district of Kibera, one of Odinga’s strongholds. At least one boy was killed by a stray bullet, according to witnesses.

Odinga dismissed Monday’s court decision, saying it was made under coercion and insisted that the government and the election remained illegitimate.

“It was a decision taken under duress. We do not condemn the court, we sympathize with it,” he said.

The roughly even division between Kenyatta and Odinga supporters is based largely on ethnic lines, between the Kenyatta’s Kikuyu tribe and Odinga’s Luo, raising fears of ethnic clashes.

Dozens have been killed during demonstrations since the August election and police have been accused of using excessive force with Odinga supporters.