Kenya: authorities call for calm as election results go online

The Star in Kenya reports that the results of Kenya’s General Election can be accessed online at vote.iebc.or.ke and that electoral authorities have called for voters and political leaders to remain calm as the process of counting and transmission of results gets underway.

IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) Vice Chairperson, Lilian Zaja, is quoted as saying that the results are provisional and stakeholders should remain calm.

Meanwhile the New York Times online reported that on Monday 04 March, after a quarter of the votes counted, one of the candidates Uhuru Kenyatta was in a lead position with 55%. This was against the 41% secured by second-place candidate and the country’s prime minister, Raila Odinga.

The report mentions that this is the first presidential vote since 2007 which resulted in widespread violence and clashes between ethnic groups, a scenario that some are concerned may be repeated.

CNN also reported that the polls, thusfar, indicate a tightly contested election which increases the possibility of a second round of voting.

“Kenya’s constitution calls for a runoff within a month of the results if no candidate gets more than half of the vote,” writes CNN.

Staff Writer