NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Latest on Kenya’s repeat presidential election (all times local): 7:30 p.m. Kenyan police say one person has been shot and killed in a Nairobi slum as security forces moved to quell fighting between two groups
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Latest on Kenya’s repeat presidential election (all times local):
7:30 p.m.
Kenyan police say one person has been shot and killed in a Nairobi slum as security forces moved to quell fighting between two groups of rioters.
A police official says the shooting occurred in the capital’s Kawangware area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
Earlier Friday, stone-throwing protesters in Kawangware who support opposition leader Raila Odinga clashed with police who fired tear gas and water cannon. The rioters, many belonging to the Luo ethnic group, looted shops and set fire to at least one kiosk owned by an ethnic Kikuyu.
Gangs with machetes then moved into the area, seeking revenge for the attack in what appeared to be an escalation of ethnic tensions.
Witnesses saw one seriously injured man with a head wound from a machete blow.
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7:20 p.m.
Kenya’s election commission has postponed voting in some opposition strongholds on Saturday, citing concerns about the safety of election staff.
Electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati made the announcement Friday. Opposition leaders have warned of further bloodshed if polling stations open in areas where voting did not occur in Thursday’s repeat presidential election.
The opposition boycotted the election and its supporters clashed with police in several areas, leading the election commission to delay voting in parts of western Kenya until the weekend.
Fears of more violence forced the latest postponement. Chebukati did not say when the voting will now take place.
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4:15 p.m.
Kenyan police say a 12-year-old boy and three other people were shot and wounded in a western county when police opened fire to disperse violent protests by opposition supporters.
A police official says the shootings occurred Friday in Migori County and that unrest continues. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Police earlier Friday reported the shooting death of a man in Kenya’s Bungoma County as police fought protesters amid tensions over Thursday’s repeat presidential election.
— Tom Odula in Nairobi.
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4:00 p.m.
Non-governmental groups are raising concerns about alleged sexual violence by Kenyan police during unrest linked to the country’s Aug. 8 election, which was later nullified by the Supreme Court.
About 20 local and international groups say in a letter to Kenyan health and security officials that there were at least 60 cases of sexual violence during the August election period and that most allegedly were committed by police or men in uniform.
The letter was sent on Wednesday, one day before the repeat presidential election that was boycotted by Kenya’s main opposition group.
Human rights activists say police shot and killed dozens of people during violent protests after the August vote. Authorities have reported a smaller number of election-related deaths, saying security forces took action against rioters and respected the law.
Deadly violence also broke out following Thursday’s vote.
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3:05 p.m.
The governor of a Kenyan county where the opposition has strong support says the election commission’s plans to hold voting there on Saturday are a “joke.”
Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, governor of Kisumu County in western Kenya, says he fears security forces will open fire on opposition protesters if there is an attempt to open polling stations there.
There were deadly clashes between police and protesters in several counties during Thursday’s repeat presidential election, and the electoral commission chief said voting would be delayed until Saturday in those areas due to security problems.
Nyong’o says that if the electoral commission chief “wants to hold the election here, he is just going to cause more deaths.”
Nyong’o is the father of Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o.
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2:20 p.m.
Kenya’s election commission is asking Kenyans to be calm and patient while it counts and verifies results from Thursday’s repeat presidential election.
Commission chief Wafula Chebukati says he understands the fatigue that many Kenyans feel over the political uncertainty that has swept East Africa’s economic hub.
“We acknowledge the fact that you want to move on with your lives,” Chebukati says.
The main opposition group boycotted the election, which was a rerun of the Aug. 8 vote that was nullified by the Supreme Court for irregularities. In some areas, opposition supporters have fought police in clashes that turned deadly.
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12:55 p.m.
Church leaders in the Kenyan opposition stronghold of Kisumu say the country’s electoral commission should not hold voting there on Saturday because it will lead to more bloodshed.
At a news conference Friday, the church leaders said they feared a police crackdown if authorities proceed with voting in several opposition areas that boycotted Thursday’s repeat presidential election.
The electoral commission said it was delaying voting until Saturday in four counties because of security problems. Opposition supporters in those areas prevented polling stations from opening and clashed with police. Four people were killed Thursday. Another was shot dead Friday as clashes continued.
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12:45 p.m.
A police official says a man has been shot dead in western Kenya’s Bungoma County as police and youth engage in running battles amid tensions over Thursday’s repeat presidential election.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Clashes between police and opposition supporters postponed voting in several counties until Saturday because polling stations were prevented from opening. Four people were killed Thursday.
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8:45 a.m.
Kenya’s election commission says about 6.5 million people, or one-third of registered voters, went to the polls in a presidential election that was boycotted by the main opposition group.
The turnout in Thursday’s election was much lower than the nearly 80 percent of registered voters who participated in an Aug. 8 election that was later nullified by the Supreme Court.
Wafula Chebukati, the election commission chairman, said late Thursday the count was based on results from 267 out of Kenya’s 290 constituencies.
Authorities postponed voting in several counties until Saturday because opposition supporters prevented polling stations from opening and clashed with police. Four people were killed.
President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner in the August vote; opposition leader Raila Odinga says the election process is not credible.
