|
200 reportedly killed as violence rocks Kenya
2008-01-01 09:15:10
By Correspondent Kasembeli Albert in Nairobi
At least two hundred people were by yesterday reportedly killed in the riots that have rocked Kenya following the disputed declaration of President Mwai Kibaki as winner of the just concluded general elections.
Chaos broke out on Sunday evening soon after the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) Chairman Samuel Kivuitu declared Kibaki as the winner.
However, ODM leader Raila Odinga, in an unprecedented move, declared that Kenyans had elected him as President of Kenya moments before the Electoral Commission released the final results.
He talked of massive rigging in some regions, saying that even with the rigged results, ODM tallies from all 210 stations showed that he was ahead of President Kibaki by about 200,000 votes.
In a shocking move, the Kenya government immediately after Kibaki’s swearing in imposed a blanket ban on all radio and television stations from airing live programmes, and giving the ensuing election riots any coverage.
Yesterday, the Media Council and the Media Owners Association described the order as retrogressive and an affront on the freedom of the press.
They asked the Government to unconditionally withdraw its order of suspending live broadcasts.
Media Council chairman Wachira Waruru said the directive was difficult to implement under the current conditions.
He warned that if the Government did not review its stand, the media owners would have no option but to defy the order.
Riots broke out in across the country’s major towns, with Nairobi being the worst affected.
Hundreds of police officers battled crowds in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru, Kakamega, Turbo, Kisii among other towns. The battle left a trail of destruction as buildings and cars were set a blaze in the ensuing stamped.
By yesterday, public transport across the country was crippled and business brought to a halt. Police sealed off all the routes leading to the major town centres and fired at those who disobeyed their orders.
In major towns in the provinces, opposition supporters expressed anger and demonstrated against the decision, in spite of the heavy police presence.
Odinga, in a brief comment to reporters yesterday morning, ruled out any negotiation with President Kibaki.
“I don’t recognise Mwai Kibaki as President. The country is in a state of mourning because ODM has been robbed of leadership. Kibaki can only hope to remain in power with the support of the military,” said Odinga.
The ODM leaders were yesterday locked into a meeting after the police declared their planned rally illegal. ODM officials had planned to hold the rally and have Raila sworn in as the “President of the People.”
In Nairobi, residents were running out of food and fuel as riots rocked the city. Thousands of security officers were deployed and battled protesters.
Nairobi city centre was deserted as several shops remained closed. There was heavy police presence and gun shots were heard in parts of the central business district shortly after 11am.
Yesterday, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member of the European Parliament, said the tallying of president polls was flawed and blamed ECK for failing to deliver to Kenyans a true reflection of the presidential polls.
“With a view to the presidential elections, however, we believe that, at this time, the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), despite the best efforts of its chairman, Samuel Kivuitu, has not succeeded in establishing the credibility of the tallying process to the satisfaction of all parties and candidates.
“We regret that it has not been possible to address irregularities about which both the EU EOM and the ECK have evidence.
“Because of this and other irregularities, some doubt remains as to the accuracy of the result of the presidential election as announced.”
There was drama at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) when an Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) official claimed at an ODM press conference that votes had been doctored in favour of President Kibaki.
Kipkemoi Kirui, a parliamentary deputy clerk seconded to the ECK to help tally votes, spoke of frustration working at the commission.
``Many of the officers who could not tolerate the situation like me left because they did not want to be party to the malpractices,” he told a media conference which ODM officials addressed at KICC.
He claimed that he had witnessed votes being doctored in favour of Kibaki, adding that this forced him to leave in huff because “I could not take it anymore.``
|
