{"id":365547,"date":"2017-10-27T06:25:35","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T06:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=365547"},"modified":"2017-10-27T06:25:35","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T06:25:35","slug":"kenya-election-voting-marred-by-boycott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/10\/kenya-election-voting-marred-by-boycott\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya election: Voting marred by boycott"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kenya’s presidential election re-run has been marred by isolated clashes and a boycott by the main opposition.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The electoral commission said voting in those areas would be postponed until Saturday.<\/p>\n
President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner in an August vote, which was annulled because of “irregularities”.<\/p>\n
Mr Kenyatta is seeking a second term. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has pulled out of the contest.<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
International observers have scaled down their missions for security reasons.<\/p>\n
The electoral commission has seven days to declare the results.<\/p>\n
After casting his vote in the town of Gatundu, Mr Kenyatta had urged people to cast their ballots so the country could move on.<\/p>\n
“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”.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
What effect are ethnicities having?<\/strong><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In parts of western Kenya where Mr Odinga’s Luo community is mostly based, there is a near-100% boycott of the poll.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
What has happened since the first vote?<\/strong><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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