Kenya-Being Heard

KENYA

Being Heard

Braving fears of violence along with long lines, Kenyans turned out in large numbers on Tuesday to vote in the too-close-to-call election between main contenders President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, the Associated Press reported.

As of Wednesday morning, peace reigned.

The final week of campaigning set the country’s nerves on edge after the murder of the top election official in charge of the electronic voting system and growing fears of similar post-election violence that marked elections 10 years ago in which more than 1,100 died.

Moreover, Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab, which has staged persistent attacks on the country’s eastern border, promised to disrupt the vote with further violence.

But residents of Lamu County, hard hit by the extremists, voted in large numbers, too. The military provided escorts for some from their homes to the polling stations, AP reported.

In the lead-up to the vote, the candidates avoided inflammatory speeches to keep the country calm. Now all eyes are on how the loser reacts to the outcome. Kenyatta, who has shown an early lead, said he would accept the result and urged rivals to do the same, Reuters wrote.

Final results are not expected before late Wednesday, but it could take three days for a winner to emerge, the news agency said.

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