KENYA: 1 killed, several houses burnt as authorities delay votes in opposition areas

Political unrest in Kenya continues as a clash between opposition protesters and pro-government supporters in the Nairobi neighbourhood of Kawangware left one victim dead and several houses burnt in the area.

“I have lost everything. They came and targeted our shops. Shops owned by people that they said supported the government,” Ephantus Chege, a landlord at Congo Market, told Al Jazeera.

Fearing the risk of violence, Kenyan authorities moved swiftly to indefinitely delay further attempts to hold voting in some opposition areas where residents blocked roads and clashed with police as part of an opposition boycott.

The Kenyan electoral board ditched the plan to stage elections late on Friday in areas including Homa Hay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya – all in the opposition stronghold of western Kenya.

Read also: KENYA DECIDES: Low voter turnout taints Uhuru’s hopes for decisive second-term mandate

“I‘m happy because we need peace, we are tired of being brutally killed by the police,” said Henry Kahango, a father of three, in the western city of Kisumu.

There are growing fears of further outbreak of violence by many in Kenya especially now that Kenyatta has won more than 97 percent of votes counted so far, according to a local media tally, in an election with turnout estimated to be below 35 percent.

The big question now on the lips of close watchers is, will Kenyatta be declared winner of a vote in which ballots were not cast in more than 20 of Kenya’s 290 constituencies?

Kenya’s political crisis which is showing no sign of ending any time soon has reportedly slowed down the economy as businesses continue to pay a heavy price in the ongoing unrest.

 

 

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