A teenage boy was shot by police and later died amid clashes in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu, one of four counties hit by violence.

The electoral commission said voting in those areas would be postponed until Saturday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner in an August vote, which was annulled because of “irregularities”.

Mr Kenyatta is seeking a second term. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has pulled out of the contest.

Tens of thousands of police and other security staff deployed to protect voters and polling stations, which closed at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

International observers have scaled down their missions for security reasons.

The electoral commission has seven days to declare the results.

After casting his vote in the town of Gatundu, Mr Kenyatta had urged people to cast their ballots so the country could move on.

“We’re tired as a country of electioneering. It’s time we moved forward,” he said, adding that most of the country was “calm and peaceful”.

Kisumu Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, father of the Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, said 29 people had been injured and two killed by police.

What effect are ethnicities having?

BBC Kenya analyst Dickens Olewe says the ethnic divide can already be seen in the voting, with a high turnout so far in regions where President Kenyatta’s Kikuyu community and Deputy President William Ruto’s Kalenjin community reside.

In parts of western Kenya where Mr Odinga’s Luo community is mostly based, there is a near-100% boycott of the poll.

The electoral commission has postponed voting until Saturday in the western counties of Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya because of “security challenges”. These areas are all likely to continue observing the opposition’s boycott.

Ethnic-based politics is deep-seated in Kenya, fuelled by the illusion that if “one of us” is in power then people from that community will benefit, he says.

Some Kenyans may also feel Mr Odinga’s withdrawal makes the competition somewhat redundant; others may be just fed up with the ongoing political crisis – all factors that could affect the overall turnout, he adds.

What has happened since the first vote?

The announcement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Mr Kenyatta’s victory on 8 August led to inflammatory rhetoric and attacks on the body.

Last week, a senior member of the IEBC fled to the US amid death threats.

About 50 people are reported to have been killed in violence since Mr Kenyatta was declared the winner in August’s election.

Mr Odinga had wanted the repeat ballot to be held at a later date, but a bid to delay the election re-run fell apart after only two of seven Supreme Court judges attended a hearing on Wednesday.

One judge, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, failed to appear after her bodyguard was shot and wounded by unknown gunmen on Tuesday.

Why is there an election re-run?

Kenya’s Supreme Court took the unprecedented decision to annul the August presidential election and demand a re-run in September citing “irregularities and illegalities”.

Chief Justice David Maraga said the election had not been “conducted in accordance with the constitution” and declared it “invalid, null and void”.

He said the verdict, which was backed by four of the six Supreme Court judges, found that the IECB had committed irregularities “in the transmission of results”.

The court said the result was “neither transparent nor verifiable”.

The ruling did not attribute any blame to President Kenyatta’s party or campaign but it nevertheless raised tensions, with rival protests in support of and against the court.

There were running battles between police firing tear gas and stone-throwing protesters in the city of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, on Wednesday.

Why is the opposition boycotting?

Mr Odinga has said that the IECB failed to make the changes needed to prevent a repeat of the mistakes that marred the earlier poll, although the IECB disputes this.

His opposition coalition – the National Super Alliance (Nasa) – made clear its participation in the election was contingent on reforms being made.

Mr Odinga had vowed to disrupt Thursday’s vote, calling for “massive” demonstrations, but has asked his supporters to stay away from polling stations in an attempt to avoid violent clashes.

In a statement earlier this month, he accused the government of instituting a “dictatorship”, adding: “We are going to win the battle for a free and fair election”.

“Our opponents want an election for the sake of it, we want a better election,” he said.

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Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second term, has urged people to vote and remain peaceful.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has pulled out of the election re-run, has called on his supporters to boycott it.

Mr Kenyatta was announced the winner in an 8 August vote but the poll is being held again because of “irregularities”.

The polls on Thursday opened at 06:00 (03:00 GMT) with tens of thousands of police and other security personnel deployed to protect voters and polling stations.

One voter in Nairobi’s Mathare slum, taxi driver David Njeru, 26, told the AFP news agency: “It is my duty to vote. Last time the queue was all around the block and I waited six hours to vote, this time the people are few.”

On the eve of the vote, Mr Kenyatta urged people to cast their ballots: “Our forefathers fought and died for the right of the African to vote, we dare not reject this inheritance.”

As the polling stations opened their doors, opposition protesters attempted to block roads in parts of Nairobi’s Kibera slum, with riot police using tear gas in a bid to disperse the crowds.

The announcement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Mr Kenyatta’s victory on 8 August led to inflammatory rhetoric and attacks on the body.

Last week, a senior member of the IEBC fled to the US amid death threats.

About 70 people have been killed in violence since Mr Kenyatta was declared the winner in August’s election.

Mr Odinga had wanted the repeat ballot to be held at a later date, but a bid to delay the election re-run fell apart after only two out of seven Supreme Court judges attended a hearing on Wednesday.

One judge, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, failed to appear after her bodyguard was shot and wounded by unknown gunmen on Tuesday.

What went wrong in August?

Kenya’s Supreme Court took the unprecedented decision to annul the August presidential election and demand a re-run in September citing “irregularities and illegalities”.

Chief Justice David Maraga said the election had not been “conducted in accordance with the constitution” and declared it “invalid, null and void”.

He said the verdict, which was backed by four of the six Supreme Court judges, found that the IECB had committed irregularities “in the transmission of results”.

The court said the result was “neither transparent nor verifiable”.

The court ruling did not attribute any blame to President Kenyatta’s party or campaign.

The ruling raised tensions, with rival protests in support of and against the court.

There were running battles between police firing tear gas and stone-throwing protesters in the city of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, on Wednesday.

‘We want a better election’

Mr Odinga has said that the IECB has failed to make the changes needed to prevent a repeat of the mistakes that marred the earlier poll, although the IECB disputes this.

His opposition coalition – the National Super Alliance (Nasa) – made clear its participation in the election was contingent on reforms being made.

Mr Odinga has vowed to disrupt Thursday’s vote and has called for “massive” demonstrations, but asked his supporters to stay away from polling stations in an attempt to avoid violent clashes.

In a statement earlier this month, he accused the government of instituting a “dictatorship”, adding: “We are going to win the battle for a free and fair election”.

“Our opponents want an election for the sake of it, we want a better election,” he said.

–

Source: BBC

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The court will hear an urgent petition by human rights activists arguing Kenya is not ready for the vote.

The election is due to take place on Thursday.

The Supreme Court in September took the unprecedented decision to annul the presidential election and demand a re-run.

Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August election had not been “conducted in accordance with the constitution” and declared it “invalid, null and void”.

This was the first time in Africa that an opposition court challenge against a presidential election had succeeded.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second term, has said the ballot must go ahead.

However, the main opposition candidate Raila Odinga is boycotting the vote.

He told the BBC’s Newsday programme on Tuesday that it was a “sham” election “which will not represent the will of the people”.

Mr Odinga says nothing has changed since the original poll and has called for “massive” demonstrations on election day.

On Monday, 20 Western diplomats said “growing insecurity”, including inflammatory rhetoric and attacks on the election commission, made it more difficult to hold a legitimate poll.

Last week a senior official at the electoral commission fled to the US, telling the BBC she had received death threats.

Amid the growing tension, the bodyguard of Kenya’s deputy chief justice was shot and wounded on Tuesday, police say.

They said the motive was not clear.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the last-minute petition, which questions whether the electoral commission and its chairman will be able to conduct a free and fair election on Thursday.

It is asking for an entirely new election which could extend the process by months.

–

Source: BBC

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The Supreme Court annulled last month’s vote, citing irregularities. It was won by the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.

French firm OT-Morpho says it needs to reinstall the complex voting system for the scheduled re-run on 17 October.

But it said the “significant amount of work” cannot be finished in time.

Details of the potential delay for October’s re-run emerged in a letter from OT-Morpho to the electoral commission, obtained by Reuters news agency. An election official also confirmed the potential delay to the BBC.

The letter, dated 18 September, said two different electronic systems used in the vote would have to be reinstalled for a re-run.

More than 45,000 computer tablets were provided to Kenyan officials to identify voters – using fingerprints and photos – before allowing them to vote.

The tablets were also responsible for the secure transmission of election results, the company said in an April press release.

Irregularities in the transmission of results was one of the problems referenced by the Supreme Court when it annulled the August poll’s results. But more precise details have yet to be released ahead of the court’s full report, due on Thursday.

In addition to the technology problems, opposition candidate Raila Odinga – set to contest the election against Mr Kenyatta – has said he will not take part in the re-run unless members of the country’s electoral commission are replaced.

The commission has reportedly arranged a meeting with both candidates on Wednesday to discuss potential problems ahead of the poll.

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Source: BBC

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This dismissal followed murmurs that Mr. Mac Manu, and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which he is a member, planned to meddle in the election and support the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, to create a parallel election tally result platform.

[contextly_sidebar id=”edUP12t3n1dy9KawnkxhCoYtVkYBHOqY”]The Democratic Union of Africa is noted as an umbrella body of centre-right parties in Africa, which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.

As Kenyan’s queue in polls to choose between President Uhuru Kenyatta his long-standing rival Raila Odinga, government, in a statement, denied any ploy to compromise the polls and said Mr. Mac Manu was in Kenya on his own accord, not the State’s.

“We wish to make it clear the government of Ghana has no interest whatsoever in who emerges the winner in Tuesday’s poll. The decision as to who leads Kenya for the next four years as President remains the sole preserve of the Kenyan people.”

“The Ghanaian Constitution guarantees every citizen of Ghana the freedom to participate in political activity inside or outside of the country, within the laws of Ghana or wherever they find themselves. They do so in their own capacity as free citizens of a free state, and not at the behest of the government of Ghana.”

NPP denies ill intent

The NPP earlier came out to deny similar allegations, with the party’s Deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahene positing that Mr. Mac Manu’s deportation was a serious indication that things were not well with the country’s polls.

“They said they will not allow Peter Mac Manu to go there and it is a serious indication that things are not going on well. How do you accuse the NPP in Ghana that they want to rig the elections? This primitive way of handling matters ongoing in Kenya, we need to be serious about it.”

Kenya’s National Super Alliance (NASA) however explained that Mr. Mac Manu was not the only individual who was denied entry into Kenya as some representatives from the United States suffered a similar fate.

“This should be seen in the context of an operation that they were carrying yesterday not just in this national centre but everywhere. They were removed from the plane, they did not formally disembark from the plane, they were taken away by the Police and pushed into another plane back to Ghana,” the Chief Agent of Kenya’s National Super Alliance, James Orengo explained.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Chris Musando, an ICT manager with the IEBC, had gone missing on Friday.

Kenyan newspaper The Star reports that Mr Musando’s body was found with one arm missing.

Tension is high in Kenya as the presidential election is expected to be a close race between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and long-time opponent Raila Odinga.

Police said on Monday that his body and that of an unidentified woman had been found in the Kikuyu area on the outskirts of Nairobi and taken to the city mortuary.

Mr Musando was rolling out a system for voter identification and transmission of results for the presidential, legislative and regional elections.

–

Source: BBC

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This will be the 5th Election in the East African country since 1991 when it ended its one party state rule.

A statement signed by the Special Aide of the President, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, stated that President Mahama is expected in Nairobi a week before the election to visit various parts of the country and meet with the various political parties and their candidates.

Voters in the Kenyan polls will elect the President and his deputy, members of Parliament and devolved government members.

Incumbent President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who beat Raila Odinga in the previous election to become president, is facing a stiff competition from Odinga again to retain power.

–

Source: Graphic.com.gh

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The presidential poll will take place next month and Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking re-election.

On Friday, after a case brought by the opposition, the High Court ordered the electoral commission not to print ballot papers.

Mr Kenyatta insisted the election would go ahead as planned.

“This kind of intimidation will not be allowed and the election date will not change,” he said.

He said the judiciary could not claim independence and then use it to interfere with the functioning of the executive and other arms of government.

The High Court argued that the tendering process for the ballot papers had not been transparent enough.

The opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) alleged that the president had links to Al Ghurair, the Dubai-based firm that won the $24m (£18m) tender.

Al Ghurair and Mr Kenyatta deny any wrongdoing.

The judges ruled that the company could still print ballots for the parliamentary and county elections, but the tender for presidential ballots should be re-advertised.

Local media have reported that whoever takes on the job of printing and distributing the ballot papers will have just 30 days to do what is usually a 45-day task.

In a separate development, Raila Odinga, Mr Keny

atta’s main contender, was taken ill and admitted to hospital on Sunday with what his campaign team said was suspected food poisoning.

Mr Odinga, speaking shortly after he was discharged from the hospital in the coastal city of Mombasa, said that he was “fit as a fiddle”.

“I had stomach pains, which have since disappeared after getting treatment,” Mr Odinga said, adding: “I have been discharged to go to Nairobi to continue with my campaigns.”

Meanwhile, several people have reportedly been killed in clashes between rival political groups, rekindling memories of post-election violence in 2007-2008 that left more than 1,000 people dead.

–

Source: BBC

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“We say no to whites owning our land and they should go,” Mr Mugabe told his supporters at a rally.

The white farmers union said it was regrettable that racial tensions were flaring up again.

The president’s critics say his policy of seizing most of Zimbabwe’s white-owned farms caused the country’s economic collapse from 2000-2009.

Mr Mugabe, 90, has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

He was re-elected president last year with 61% of the vote, defeating his long-standing rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

The president’s Zanu-PF party also gained a parliamentary majority of more than two-thirds, winning 160 of the 210 seats.

BBC Zimbabwe analyst Stanley Kwenda says Mr Mugabe’s comments are surprising, as the government officially ended its land reform programme about two years ago.

It appears that Mr Mugabe wants to deflect attention from Zimbabwe’s economic crisis, especially worsening unemployment and the closure of firms, our correspondent says.

‘Anxiety’

“Don’t be too kind to white farmers. Land is yours, not theirs,” Mr Mugabe said at a rally in Mashonaland West province, a stronghold of Zanu-PF .

“They should get into industries and leave the land to blacks,” he added.

Mr Mugabe’s comments had caused anxiety among white farmers, said Commercial Farmers Union director Hendricks Olivier.

“We’d like to move forward and work with the government of the day,” he told BBC Focus on Africa.

There were only between 100 and 150 white farmers left in Zimbabwe, Mr Olivier said.

Several thousand of them were forced to abandon farming after the government launched a controversial land reform programme nearly 15 years ago.

Source: BBC

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A court ordered Michael Pazarangu to pay $50 (£30) or spend 30 days in jail, The Herald newspaper reports.

He was accused of letting his “unmuzzled ferocious dogs roam freely” on the president’s private property in the capital, Harare.

Mr Mugabe, 90, has been in power since Zimbabwe became independent in 1980.

He was re-elected president last year, defeating his long-standing rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr Pazarangu changed his initial plea of not guilty and admitted the offence, The Herald reports.

“This matter has attracted a lot of publicity and has negatively affected me and my family,” Mr Pazarangu is quoted as saying.

The court heard that his dogs had killed a deer in May 2013 on Mr Mugabe’s property in Harare’s upmarket Borrowdale suburb.

The dogs were said to have entered through an opening in the fence separating the two properties.

–

Source: BBC

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