NAIROBI —
Kenya’s election commission on Monday cancelled four local polls and announced
the arrest of six officials on the eve of a high-stakes presidential vote,
raising alarm after a campaign dominated by rigging fears.
اضافة اعلان
Millions of Kenyans will vote for a new leader on
Tuesday, in a tight race between Deputy President William Ruto and
Raila Odinga, a veteran opposition politician now backed by the ruling party.
Voters will also choose governors, senators,
lawmakers, woman representatives, and county officials.
Despite mudslinging and fake news, campaigning has
so far been largely peaceful, a relief in a country where past election-related
unrest still casts a shadow.
But Monday’s announcement by the
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will do little to ease worries over
rigging — presidential poll outcomes have been routinely disputed over the last
two decades, and the discord often spills over into violence.
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said gubernatorial
polls in the counties of Mombasa and Kakamega as well as elections for MP in
the Kachiliba and Pokot South constituencies would be postponed until further
notice, due to erroneous ballot papers.
The cancellations could affect turnout if citizens
decide not to show up at polling stations to cast their ballot for the five
other positions still in the running. Together, Mombasa and Kakamega account
for some 1.5 million registered voters.
Chebukati also said six IEBC officials were arrested
for allegedly meeting with candidates with a view to influencing election
outcomes.
“The commission ... will not hesitate to take stern
action against any official found to be in breach of the code of conduct and
election offences act,” he said, dismissing rigging fears and urging citizens
to vote.
“Let us collectively rise up and show the world that
Kenya is a vibrant democracy.”
Calls for peace
The unsettling developments
followed a pledge on Sunday by both the presidential frontrunners to respect
the result and not trigger a repeat of the violence that followed polls in 2007
and 2017.
“Each Kenyan wherever you are, whatever you do, be a
peacemaker. It is a qualification to become a son and a daughter of God,” Ruto
said.
The 55-year-old has previously said he will pursue
any dispute at the
Supreme Court, which in 2017 ordered a rerun of the
presidential vote, citing irregularities in the counting process and
mismanagement by the electoral commission.
Odinga — who is making his fifth run at the
presidency — also urged calm, saying: “We want a peaceful country, that no life
should be lost at the hands of no other person.”
In an editorial published Monday, the Daily Nation
newspaper welcomed the “good signals” from the two men, saying it would “help
to ease tension”.
In recent days, analysts have suggested that Odinga,
77, will likely scrape past Ruto, with
Oxford Economics highlighting the fact
that he is backed by “several influential political leaders”, including
President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“A final poll giving him (Odinga) an 8 percent lead
will encourage undecided swing voters to pick the winning side,” Ben Hunter,
Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said in a note.
Stable partner
Ruto was long expected to
succeed Kenyatta, but was sidelined after his boss — who cannot run again —
shook hands with longtime foe Odinga in a 2018 pact that stunned the nation.
Since then, Ruto, a wealthy businessman with a
rags-to-riches background, has vowed to overthrow the “dynasties” running Kenya
— a reference to the Kenyatta and Odinga families, which gave the country its
first president and vice president.
Ruto has presented himself as “hustler in chief”,
claiming to speak for the downtrodden and hoping to strike a chord in a country
where three in 10 people live on less than $1.90 a day, according to the World
Bank.
In his final campaign speech on Saturday, Odinga
vowed to continue with the “handshake doctrine.”
“I will shake the hand if I win, and I will shake
the hand if I don’t. And I will do it because I love Kenya,” he said.
The election is being closely watched by the
international community, which views Kenya as a stable partner in a region
roiled by conflict.
About 22.1 million people — out of a population of around 50
million — are registered to vote, with polling stations open from 6am to 5pm
(3am GMT to 2pm GMT).
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