Kenyan police fired tear gas and water cannons at opposition protesters in their stronghold of Kisumu as the nation voted for a new president Thursday for the second time in three months.
The main opposition candidate had urged his supporters to boycott the latest race, reflecting bitter divisions in the nation. In the western town of Kisumu, police threw teargas at the opposition’s supporters and roads remained barricaded. Voting materials arrived, but electoral commission officials did not show up at some polling stations.
In the capital city of Nairobi, soldiers carrying long guns and tear gas canisters hovered near polling stations.
The election boycott is expected to hand victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta, but in a poll that will be compromised by low turnout and accusations of irregularities.
Bitter divisions
The election comes after weeks of political twists and turns.
Last month, the Supreme Court took the unprecedented step of annulling incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta’s August 8 victory after opposition leader Raila Odinga said the results were electronically tampered with. The court ordered the rerun Thursday.
While the high court ruling appeared to vindicate Odinga, the opposition leader dropped out of the race this month, saying the electoral commission had not implemented reforms.
Odinga urged his supporters to boycott the election, raising the possibility that millions will shun the outcome. A day before the election, activists made a last-ditch effort to stop the vote.
The political uncertainty has left residents of the east African economic powerhouse on edge. The election has become so divisive, it revived fears of postviolence like the country experienced in 2007, when at least 1,000 people were killed.
After Kenyatta was declared the winner in the August vote, sporadic clashes erupted in some areas, killing at least 24 people.
Leaders urge restraint
In a televised address on the eve of Thursday’s rerun, Kenyatta urged the public to be peaceful and pledged fair treatment for all.
“After you vote — and I have said this before — please go home. Go back to your neighbor. Remember that in spite of their origin, your neighbor is your brother; your neighbor is your sister,” he said.
“For those who wish not to vote, your rights are also equally protected by the very same constitution.”
The President’s comments addressed the issue of ethnic bonds, which are often stronger than national identity in Kenya, which has at least 40 ethnic groups.
Kenyatta hails from the country’s largest community, the Kikuyu. Mostly originating from Kenya’s central highlands, the Kikuyu have long been accused of wielding strong economic and political power in the country. Odinga is a member of the Luo community, which some say has become increasingly marginalized in recent years.
Hours before the President spoke, Odinga appeared at an opposition rally in Nairobi, where he addressed throngs of supporters and called for a “national resistance movement” to boycott the election.
“Do not participate in any way in the sham election,” he said. “Convince your friends, neighbors and everyone else not to participate.”
Odinga urged Kenyans who “value democracy and justice to hold vigils and prayers away from polling stations.” He also issued a call for peace within communities, saying, “Don’t look at your brother or sister with suspicion. He or she is as much of a victim as you.”
Efforts to stop election
The chairman of the election board reiterated Wednesday that polling would go ahead as after the Supreme Court failed to rule on a last-minute bid by activists to stop the vote.
But last week, Chebukati had warned that he had no faith the country would deliver a free and fair election. He said political leaders are the greatest threat to a credible vote, urging Odinga and Kenyatta to meet and discuss their differences.
Following his exodus from the presidential race, Odinga has repeatedly urged his supporters not to have anything to do with the election unless his demands for electoral reform are met.
Opposition supporter Kepher Omweri, 37, who attended Odinga’s rally, told CNN he will not vote because he feels his rights are being denied.
“I’m here to support my presidential candidate and tell the world that here in Kenya, we are being led by dictators. The people who are in power; they are there using their own powers and not those of the people,” Omweri said.
Business owner Kerry Indiazi said opposition supporters will heed Odinga’s call and violence will not be a problem.
“We will be active on social media and in all social gatherings. We will say we can’t go back to the old way of corruption and dictatorship.”
Kenyatta’s supporter, John Mwangi, woke up at dawn to vote, but said the election has lost some excitement with the opposition candidate’s boycott.
“Now I just want us to finally have peace so we can move on from this,” he said.
Fears of unrest
Observers will be closely monitoring Thursday’s election, including the Carter Center, which also had a team there in August. But it won’t be sending as many observers this time around, given the “growing insecurity, the uncertain political environment and the lack of a fully competitive election,” the organization said in a statement.
As the largest economy in East Africa, any unrest could have ripple effects far beyond the nation of 47 million people. Many view Kenya’s fate as a key indicator for stability in a region that includes the fledgling Somali government and the politically tense Sudan and South Sudan.
Polls will be open until 5 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET Thursday).