Kenya Election: Vote Counting Starts in the Wake of Long Poll Queues and Election Violence

Today in Kenya, the counting of votes begins in what is considered by many as the most important presidential elections in the country’s history. The current count in the Kenya election (>10% of votes) is seeing two front-runners well ahead of the other six candidates, with Uhuru Kenyatta gaining a comfortable lead over Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Kenyatta is facing accusations of crimes against humanity, particularly for “financing death squads.”

The votes already counted come from polls that closed on time in areas that are known supporters of Kenyatta. In early interviews during polling, the two top presidential contenders expressed confidence in winning. Odinga said that he will “congratulate the winner while Kenyatta said that any kind of dispute needs to be brought to a court of law.

Bitter rivalry

Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga’s bitter rivalry will soon be resolved by the people’s vote. Kenyatta is the son of Jomo Kenyatta, the first President of Kenya while Odinga is the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the first Vice-President of the Country. Odinga is the incumbent Prime Minister (power-sharing arrangement) while Kenyatta is the Deputy Prime Minister. Kenyatta is of Kikuyu ethnicity (22% of the populace) while Odinga belongs to the Luos peoples (11% of the population).

Odinga claimed that he was cheated in the last election (2007) while Kenyatta and William Ruto, his running mate, are both accused of inciting violence in the 2007 elections. Both are scheduled to stand trial with the International Criminal Court (ICC) a month from now.

An eventful election day

On Monday, Election Day millions Kenyans were queuing under the hot sun just to exercise their right of suffrage. Voters went to the polls in droves to elect a new President, Senators, Parliament members, Governors, and County Assembly Members (47). Polls were closed after everyone at the queues was able to vote, seven hours beyond the designated time. Officials reported a higher turnout of voters, compared to the last presidential election held in 2007. Queues went as long as one kilometer even as the polls started opening before the break of dawn.

Biometric kits were used this year. This is an attempt of Kenya’s election officials to reduce the incidence of fraud. Still, some areas still used manual registers, but officials were keen on assuring the implementation of valid election procedures.

Kenya’s election officials will release the results of the election on March 11.

Widespread election violence

There was a general worry that violence would erupt in this year’s election since the 2007 polls was marred by 1,000 deaths and accusations of cheating. And it was not as peaceful as people hoped. On Election Day in Mombasa, 15 people were killed when 200 gang members bearing machetes attacked. Another 11 people were killed in Changamwe, an hour away from Mombasa. Six people were also killed in Kilifi a locality found to the north of Mombasa.

One person was killed in Mandera (near the border to Somalia) from explosions while an unknown number of casualties and fatalities are victims of an attack near Mishomoroni. The election went on peacefully in the capital, Nairobi. But the days leading to the election were tense, with panic buying and people trooping to rural areas to escape possible racial uprisings in the cities. Many businesses in the capital were closed in fear of the high possibility of riots.