Tension escalates in Kenya with presidential poll too close to call
Fears of violence rise as incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta, from the Kikuyu ethnic group, faces opposition rival Raila Odinga, from the Luo
Nairobi — Kenyans head to the polls on Tuesday to vote in a knife-edge contest between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his rival Raila Odinga, which has heightened claims of vote rigging and fears of violence. The final days of campaigning have been marred by the murder and torture of a top election official, opposition claims that one of its vote tallying centres was raided by police and a feverish atmosphere of conspiracy and suspicion. The election is seen as a crucial test of Kenya’s progress since a disputed poll a decade ago led to two months of politically motivated ethnic clashes, which along with a police crackdown on protests left more than 1,100 dead and 600,000 displaced. Kenyans will cast ballots in six different elections, but all eyes are on what is set to be the last showdown of a dynastic rivalry between the Kenyatta and Odinga families that has lasted more than half a century. The men belong to two of the country’s main ethnic groups, Kenyatta from the Kikuyu, the lar...
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