Shooting, tear gas mar Kenya election re-run
♦ Opposition leader urges supporters to stay at home
♦ Boycott assures Kenyatta of de facto victory
At least three people were shot dead yesterday during clashes over Kenya's re-run election, which has been boycotted by the opposition and shunned by many voters, sparking a crisis that has polarised the east African hub.
In stark contrast to the first ballot in August, which was overturned by the Supreme Court, several polling stations in key areas stood empty or welcomed only a handful of voters in an election likely to face more legal battles after its conclusion.
In western Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, 19-year-old George Odhiambo died from blood loss after being shot in the thigh in clashes which erupted after protesters barricaded roads and polling stations to block the vote, police and hospital sources said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior police source said there had been three deaths. Four other people sustained gunshot wounds, a medic said at Kisumu's main hospital.
Police fired water cannon and teargas to disperse angry demonstrators in several opposition strongholds in the west and in Nairobi's slums, who had ignored calls by opposition leader Raila Odinga to stay at home on election day.
The chaos likely to return Uhuru Kenyatta as president of East Africa's chief economic and political powerhouse.
The election is the chaotic climax of a political drama that began when the Supreme Court overturned the victory of Kenyatta in the August 8 elections.
Kenyatta, who turned 56 yesterday, is almost assured victory after veteran opposition leader Odinga withdrew, citing fears the poll would be marred by the same flaws which saw the August vote overturned.
It cited "irregularities" and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
"Today, no fair election can take place. The government wants to force us to vote, but we did not want to do it and we will not do it," said Austin Olang, a 26-year-old maths teacher in Kisumu.
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