Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Monday declared victor of the country’s deeply divisive elections, taking 98 percent of the ballots cast in a poll boycotted by his rival Raila Odinga, sparking fears of further violence in flashpoint opposition strongholds. Despite his crushing win, the …
Read More »Live bullets and bloodshed turn spotlight on Kenyan police
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Live bullets, raids on houses and clouds of tear gas: for human rights defenders, the crackdown on Kenya’s opposition protest movement is yet another example of police impunity. Frequently accused of extrajudicial executions, Kenya’s security forces have defended their actions, saying their men had at …
Read More »LIVE: Kenya election board announces poll results
LIVE: Kenya election board to announce poll results at 3.30pm Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s election commission said the result of a highly contentious presidential election will be announced on Monday afternoon, despite voting not taking place in 25 protest-hit constituencies. “Having been satisfied that the results of the elections …
Read More »Kenya waits for an end to presidential re-run
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s election board is expected Monday to decide whether to reschedule a vote in flashpoint opposition areas, where a boycott sparked violent protests, or to push ahead with declaring victory for President Uhuru Kenyatta. With the counting almost done after Thursday’s presidential re-run, the results …
Read More »Maize glut hits Uganda
Maize prices drop by 70% as exports to Kenya reduce due to political uncertainties Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s farmers could battle to sell some of their surplus maize as major customers who mainly export to Kenya cut back on their purchases citing political uncertainties in the latter …
Read More »Tricky legal questions around Kenya’s repeat poll
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s repeated presidential election, held after an August 8 vote was annulled, has still not been completed after violence prevented voting Thursday in flashpoint opposition strongholds. Some tricky legal questions remain: – When will the result be announced? – It is impossible to say at …
Read More »Odinga keeps Kenya guessing
Kenya’s Odinga says still possible to ‘reconsider’ vote pullout Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said Thursday he could “reconsider” his decision to quit the country’s troubled election race, provided there was “proper” headway on electoral reform. “If proper consultations are done and if proper reforms …
Read More »Kenya election chief casts doubt on ‘free, fair’ poll
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s polls chief cast doubt Wednesday on his organisation’s ability to hold a credible vote next week, as opposition leader Raila Odinga vowed to disrupt the election with mass protests. In the latest bombshell to hit the presidential election, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chief …
Read More »Why Kenyan election official Akombe has fled to New York
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | One of Kenya’s eight election commissioners quit Wednesday in a searing statement accusing her colleagues of political bias and saying an upcoming presidential election cannot be credible. “The commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on 26 October 2017. I …
Read More »Odinga to announce ‘next course of action’ on Friday
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Opposition leader Raila Odinga said Tuesday he was suspending a protest campaign after three people were shot dead in demonstrations against Kenya’s election body. The National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition had earlier said the protests would resume on Wednesday after pausing for a day in …
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