Nairobi.
Kenya - In a setback for Kenya's efforts to cement its democracy, Prime Minister Raila Odinga refused Saturday to concede defeat in a close presidential election he said was fraught with fraud and irregularities.
Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, who lost the presidential
election, speaks to the media in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 9, 2013.
Odinga says he will not concede defeat and will contest the election
result in court, saying that "democracy is on trial" after the country's
election process experienced multiple failures.
But Odinga called for calm and vowed to mount a court challenge to the results. Kenyans are determined to avoid the violent aftermath of the disputed 2007 election, which saw tribal killings take place across the country.
Kenya's independent election commission pronounced Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of the presidential election Saturday, angering Odinga and members of his Luo tribe, whose members feel they have been shut out of presidential power for decades.
Odinga's supporters in the Nairobi slums of Kibera and Mathare expressed bitterness, saying they had no confidence in Kenyan authorities or the election commission. They said they were awaiting a signal from Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement to take to the streets, but instead Odinga urged people to avoid violence and wait for action by the courts.
"Any violence now could destroy this nation forever. That would not be in anyone's interests. Let us treat each other as brothers and sisters," he said.
The election of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta will test Kenya's relations with Western allies. Kenyatta is accused by the International Criminal Court in the Hague of inciting followers to commit violence in the 2007 election, which saw more than 1,000 Kenyans killed in tribal clashes. The trial is scheduled to begin in July.
Kenyatta squeaked into power with 50.07 percent of the vote. The election commission's chief, Issack Hassan, rejected claims that the results had been tampered with.
Source www.sfgate.com
Kenya - In a setback for Kenya's efforts to cement its democracy, Prime Minister Raila Odinga refused Saturday to concede defeat in a close presidential election he said was fraught with fraud and irregularities.
But Odinga called for calm and vowed to mount a court challenge to the results. Kenyans are determined to avoid the violent aftermath of the disputed 2007 election, which saw tribal killings take place across the country.
Kenya's independent election commission pronounced Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of the presidential election Saturday, angering Odinga and members of his Luo tribe, whose members feel they have been shut out of presidential power for decades.
Odinga's supporters in the Nairobi slums of Kibera and Mathare expressed bitterness, saying they had no confidence in Kenyan authorities or the election commission. They said they were awaiting a signal from Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement to take to the streets, but instead Odinga urged people to avoid violence and wait for action by the courts.
"Any violence now could destroy this nation forever. That would not be in anyone's interests. Let us treat each other as brothers and sisters," he said.
The election of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta will test Kenya's relations with Western allies. Kenyatta is accused by the International Criminal Court in the Hague of inciting followers to commit violence in the 2007 election, which saw more than 1,000 Kenyans killed in tribal clashes. The trial is scheduled to begin in July.
Kenyatta squeaked into power with 50.07 percent of the vote. The election commission's chief, Issack Hassan, rejected claims that the results had been tampered with.
Source www.sfgate.com
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