Kenya Election: Opposition Decries ‘Stolen’ Vote

Kenya’s opposition has accused the government of “state terror” and vowed to overturn a “sham” result.

Senior opposition official James Orengo said they would not go to court to achieve this. He urged people to stay calm and out of harm’s way.

Mr Orengo alleged that about 100 people had been killed by the Kenyan security forces but did not offer evidence.

Official results gave President Uhuru Kenyatta 54.3%. His challenger Raila Odinga called the election a “charade”.

“They knew they were going to steal an election. They knew the people would be unhappy. Therefore all the instruments of violence were put in place,” Mr Orengo said.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) meanwhile said 24 people had been shot dead by police during protests.

What Kenya needs right now is strong leadership. From the government side, that means ensuring security forces don’t use excessive force while containing protest.

The opposition National Super Alliance needs to send a clear message to their supporters not to use violence. But in a media conference, lacking the most senior alliance leaders, they said only that people should “stay out of harms way”.

They seem lacking in direction and united only by the statement: “We will not be cowed. We will not relent”.

They still do not accept the results of the election, but have not yet provided strong evidence for why they believe the elections was rigged, or for the large number of people they claim have been killed.

The clashes are intense but isolated. There is nothing like the level of anger or violence that sparked the killings ten years ago and many Kenyans hope they can return to normal life as soon as possible.

The victims included a nine-year-old girl hit by a stray bullet in a Nairobi’s Mathere slum.

A man was also killed in Kisumu county, an opposition stronghold and the centre of post-election ethnic violence in 2007, when 1,200 people died and 600,000 were displaced.

But Mr Orengo questioned Elog’s independence.

Kenya’s acting interior minister Fred Matiang’i has urged people to return to their normal lives and called for Kenyans to use social media responsibly.

Mr Matiang’i said most areas were calm but there had been some violence which he blamed on criminals.

Opposition supporters have been confronting police in Nairobi’s Mathare slum

Mr Kenyatta has urged peace. “We have seen the results of political violence. And I am certain that there is no single Kenyan who would wish for us to go back to this,” he said.

Ahead of the results, Mr Odinga had called on his supporters to remain calm, but added that he did not control anyone, and that “people want to see justice”.

Rights group Amnesty International has called for the Kenyan authorities to investigate the killings.

Kenyan media reacts – BBC Monitoring

All major newspapers in Kenya agreed that the president’s first duty should be to heal the divisions that were exposed during the election.

The Star newspaper said the extent of Mr Kenyatta’s victory “was surprising, even shocking, but we should accept it and move on. Kenya deserves peace and development”.

On local radio, pro-ruling party stations hosted jubilant callers. On Radio Nam Lolwe, which broadcasts to opposition areas, a caller spoke of “heartbreaking” scenes where protests had turned violent, saying: “Let us desist from violence and preach peace”.

Ramogi FM radio, which broadcasts in the Luo language of defeated candidate Raila Odinga, played gospel music – a break from the usual Saturday discussion programmes.