Tension is rising in Kenya, five days after the presidential vote. The results are still being compiled and verified by the Electoral Commission. She has until Tuesday, August 16 to announce them. However, the longer the wait, the more tempers flare. Accusations of attempted fraud are increasing, as are calls for calm.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Florence Morice
A sign of the growing tension, riot police intervened last night in Bomas, where the Kenyan Electoral Commission has set up its national counting center.
Since yesterday Saturday August 13, the representatives of the various candidates who participate in the verification of the votes have almost come to blows, on several occasions. There were scenes of fights against a backdrop of mutual accusations of attempted fraud, until the almost surreal moment when one of Raila Odinga’s representatives walked up to the podium to declare: ” I want to tell Kenyans that Bomas is a crime scene », all live on television.
So this Sunday morning, calm returned as well as the work of counting the results. The security and access filtering system has been reinforced.
In this climate, around fifteen Kenyan associations, unions and NGOs, representatives of teachers, lawyers, doctors and human rights defenders published a joint statement this Sunday morning calling for restraint.
” We are disappointed with the attitude of politicians, the way they puff out their chests and say they can’t lose. It really doesn’t help us. In an election, you have to be prepared to be either the winner or the loser. This country is bigger than any of these political parties that are now announcing that they have won the elections. We therefore call on Kenyans not to be swayed by these persuasive rhetoric and to maintain faith in the Electoral Commission. She is doing her job and will give us the results. Whatever they are, we must be ready to accept them and move on. “, launched Hussein Khalid, director of the NGO Haki Africa.
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At the same time, in a gesture of appeasement, Raila Odinga spoke this morning for the first time since the vote, during the Sunday service in Karen. ” We hope that peace will prevail after the election. We are all part of one nation “, he launched
William Ruto, who also attended mass this morning, made no statement.
Candidate David Mwaure, of the Agano party, has just admitted defeat. He was credited with less than 1% of the results, according to initial estimates. Four candidates were in the running but everything is now decided in a tight duel between the two favorites, Raila Odinga and William Ruto.