Claims of vote rigging spark riots in Kenya

[Mike Baker]

Link

Claims of vote rigging spark riots in Kenya
Updated Sat. Dec. 29 2007 9:12 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Kenyan electoral officials have suspended the announcement of results in the country's presidential race in an attempt to quell riots prompted by long delays and accusations of vote rigging.

The latest results released on Saturday had President Mwai Kibaki taking a lead of about 120,000 votes over Kenya's opposition party which had a slight lead earlier in the day.

When announced, the result angered supporters of opposition challenger Raila Odinga, who led in most opinion polls leading up to Thursday's election. A previous official tally gave Odinga a 38,000 vote lead.

Odinga's supporters accused the government of rigging the result and tried to shout down the head of the Electoral Commission of Kenya as he read out the figures.

The commission abruptly stopped reporting results for the night.

Fierce rioting had already broken out over tallying delays and fears that election results were rigged in some rural areas of the country. Thousands of people took to the streets. They looted stores, burned homes and waved machetes.

Police say a number of people have been killed in the riots, further tarnishing the vote that international and domestic observers first praised as calm.

Complicated rules for winning and the mandate that ballots must be hand-counted on site threatened even longer delays.

A presidential candidate must not only win the majority of votes, but must also have 25 per cent support in five out of eight provinces. The rules were established in order to ensure a president has support throughout the country and within its many tribes.

Hundreds of people swarmed out of the Kibera slum, Odinga's main constituency and the largest slum in Kenya's capital, and headed for town but were deterred by police firing tear gas.

Smoke billowed out of residences in the slum, which is home to some 800,000 people, as trees and stalls were lit on fire.

Hamisi Noor, 22, said a crowd threatened him before burning his house down and cutting his father across the face.

Noor, blood-soaked and standing in front of his burned-out home, said the rioters belonged to Odinga's Luo tribe. "I don't know who they were," Noor said. "But they were Luos."

Also in Nairobi, angry men ripped down Odinga posters outside the deserted city centre as police blocked off the streets. Stores closed Saturday and residents scrambled to secure food and water.

Police fatally shot two people in the capital, according to a police official who asked for anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media.

Thursday's vote was hailed as the second truly democratic vote in Kenya's history.

During his tenure, Kibaki, 76, was credited with helping to boost the nation's economy.

Kenya boasted a growth rate among the highest in all of Africa and a booming tourism industry. However, he was criticized for rampant poverty and tribalism in the East African nation.

Odinga, a 62-year-old former political prisoner, promised change and a share in the wealth for the nation's poor during his campaign. But he has been accused of not doing enough to help his constituents during his 15 years as a lawmaker.

With files from The Associated Press

Hmm, better keep an eye on this one too.

 

[Mike Baker]

LINK

Scores dead in Kenya election riots
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Scores of people were reported killed in Kenya Monday as opposition supporters fought with police a day after President Mwai Kibaki was returned to power in elections marred by violence and accusations of vote-rigging.

The streets of the capital Nairobi were almost deserted as the government deployed riot police against opposition supporters, some of whom said they would risk death to protest what they called a stolen election.

"We have been rigged out, we are not going to accept defeat," 24-year-old James Onyango, who lives in Nairobi's Kibera slum, told The Associated Press. "We are ready to die and we're ready for serious killings."

Witnesses on Monday told CNN of widespread violence in Kibera as angry supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga set fire to buildings. Police attempted to hold them back with tear gas and water cannons, the witnesses said.

Local media reported a number of deaths as a result of the rioting, as well as reports of police brutality, although CNN has been unable to confirm this independently.

State television reported at least 124 people have been killed in violence connected to the election result.

 

[Mike Baker]

Opposition calls off planned rally in Kenya

Opposition calls off planned rally in Kenya
Updated Thu. Jan. 3 2008 7:33 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A rally planned by Kenya's main opposition party for Thursday was cancelled as riot police used tear gas and water cannons to beat back protesters.

One million people were expected to take to the streets of Nairobi to protest the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki last December.

Opposition Leader Raila Odinga, who has insisted that the vote was fixed, called for Thursday's march -- which was then banned by the government.

Kibaki's controversial victory has sparked ongoing ethnic violence across Kenya, leaving more than 300 people dead.

On Thursday, a top official with Odinga's party confirmed the rally had been cancelled.

"We are a peaceful people who do not want violence," said William Ruto. "That is why we are peacefully dispersing now."

 

[tomahawk6]

What concerns me is the rioting. Whats wrong with rallies and marches ? We saw the samething in Pakistan. I think criminal elements ignite looting/arson and then you have others joining in.

 

[Mike Baker]

LINK

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Riots and post-election violence in Kenya may have killed up to 1,000 people, the opposition said on Monday as it halted protests and President Mwai Kibaki invited his main rival to talks.

The east African country has been hit by a wave of demonstrations and tribal clashes since Kibaki's disputed win in December 27 polls over opposition challenger Raila Odinga.

The government raised its death toll to nearly 500 and 255,000 displaced Monday. But Odinga told Reuters that "closer to a thousand" people might have died.

Aid workers say the toll could go higher after one of Kenya's worst crises since independence from Britain in 1963.

 

[1feral1]

Another excuse for rival tribes for ethnic cleansing.

Uncivilised mob mentality, mixed in with a pinch of hatred at its best, oh yes with machetes and the odd Mr Kalashnikov in hand.

We don't realise just how lucky we are, tucked away in our cozy homes.

Australia just caved in and donated $1,000,000.00 AUD

Money well wasted!

op:

 

[FascistLibertarian]

yeah everytime something goes wrong in Africa its always the same old story, those tribal africans killing each other, so typical.

 

[GAP]

Is this sarcasm?

From the looks of all the genocide attacks in various places, it looks pretty accurate....It's not a slam on the Africans except in relation to their reaction to issues....

 

[TCBF]

I think the problem is the mixture of ethnicity with politics. It's just a recipe for disaster!

- Whoaaa Girl! You can't say that in Canada! Some Human Rights Commission Obersturmbahnfuhrer will haul you before an HRT for racism. 

 

[FascistLibertarian]

Yeah total sarcasm....
read the graves are not yet full if you have some time, it clearly shows the specific reasons behind all the major violence in Africa.

When the FLQ started their campaign of terror or the Natives set up a roadblock no one claims its due to our tribal nature, however if Canada was in Africa and we were all blacks and arabs, people would blame it on triablism.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

When the FLQ started their campaign of terror or the Natives set up a roadblock no one claims its due to our tribal nature, however if Canada was in Africa and we were all blacks and arabs, people would blame it on triablism.

To even make those comparisons shows what a moron you are.

The only reason we don't have the "tribal trouble" that exists in Africa is we didn't have enough time in country to develop the ever-consuming hatred that each generation passes on over there.

Though some racist stooges still try.......

 

[Mike Baker]

Renewed ethnic clashes hit Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Renewed ethnic fighting broke out in a Kenyan slum Sunday following the deaths of more than 20 people in demonstrations against the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.

Several homes were set ablaze in Nairobi's Mathare slum in hours of running battles between Kikuyu and Luo ethnic groups, resident Boniface Shikami said.

Kibaki belongs to the Kikuyu, Kenya's largest ethnic group, while opposition leader Raila Odinga is a Luo.

An Associated Press reporter saw the body of a Luo man who had been beaten to death after riding his bicycle through a group of Kikuyus. Another staggered past with blood streaming from the stump of his arm, which had been cut off with a machete. The arm was taken by a group of youths and placed on top of a pile of stones barricading an alleyway.

Shikami said Luos on his street had received notices warning them to leave by nightfall or risk attack. Philipe Rebeiro of the aid group Doctors Without Borders said his organization had treated 10 people for machete and ax wounds.

On Saturday, Kenya's opposition party called for another day of "peaceful rallies" against the government across Kenya in defiance of a ban. At least 24 people were killed in demonstrations Wednesday through Friday -- all but seven of the deaths blamed on police.

Opposition party chairman Henry Kosgey told reporters on Saturday: "We will use each and every means to bring down Kibaki's government."

The European Union asked the opposition not to hold rallies.

 

[honestyrules]

Quote from: decoy on January 15, 2008, 18:35:42
I think the problem is the mixture of ethnicity with politics. It's just a recipe for disaster!


- Whoaaa Girl! You can't say that in Canada! Some Human Rights Commission Obersturmbahnfuhrer will haul you before an HRT for racism. 

Not the best way to talk about this I agree.
But I think she`s just pointing out that everybody should be able to run for power, not just a specific group.

 

[FascistLibertarian]

The only reason we don't have the "tribal trouble" that exists in Africa is we didn't have enough time in country to develop the ever-consuming hatred that each generation passes on over there.

Your right, thats probably the only reason......
:

 

[TCBF]

How can you tell if it's vote rigging?

Simple:

The 'Alpha' Tribe has 20,000,000 eligible voters, and receives 20,000,000 votes.
The 'Bravo' Tribe has 20,000,000 eligible voters, and receives 21,000,000 votes.

Voila!  Vote rigging.  Much easier to calculate when everyone votes for their own tribe. 

We have 'tribal' voting here in Canada, too, where people will vote for 'their own,' or if that is not possible, vote for whom 'their own' tell them to vote for.  I have no doubt many of my ancestors voted this way since 'we' walked off the boats 200 years ago. Assimilation is a very thin veneer.

 

[tomahawk6]

Maybe the Mau Mau wont be far behind ?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Your right, thats probably the only reason......
:

Well, without your normal pathetic "everything is the US.'s fault" whines, tell us what you think.

 

[FascistLibertarian]

Okay, I love and respect the United States. I am not a fan of George W. Bush who I feel has been a disaster both internationally and domestically. I was against the invasion of Iraq, and how the occupation was handled. I don’t blame everything on the United States and am so grateful for what they have done for Canada, my family, and the free world. No country is perfect and there is a lot that one can criticize about either the US or Canada. I don’t feel that it’s fair to label me anti-American because I take issue with specific aspects of American foreign policy and domestic economic policy. I don’t call Americans anti-Canadians when they are critical of specific things in Canada.

I think when things happen in Africa everyone always blame their ‘tribal nature’ which is an overly simplistic view of the situation.

The vast majority of the different ethnic groups in Africa get along most of the time. It is not like Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda and Burundi always hated each other, or the groups in Kenya hate each other more each generation. At times the elites who control the power in their countries use part of their identity to create conflict and retain this power. Most of the violence in Africa is caused by the elites manipulation of the system to further their own goals.

It’s just as likely to be religion (Nigeria) or race (Sudan) as it is ethnicity. I think it’s either racist or ignorant to compare say this current situation in Kenya with the earlier genocide in Rwanda. No comparison is perfect but I personally would say a Mexico comparison would be more valid.

I just think its an over use of reductionism to blame tribalism, as opposed to the very specific situation, for the violence in Kenya.

 

[TCBF]

Reductionism? Heck, we be all over that.  I am an older Grade Two, Page Four, Cbt A soldier who joined the Cold War to fight Communism and make the word safe for Reductionism...

8)

Actually, a more nuanced responce is probably available on this site, but my nuanced responce ready rack is depleted at the moment.

In any case, your points above are well taken.

 

[TCBF]

Not the best way to talk about this I agree.
But I think she`s just pointing out that everybody should be able to run for power, not just a specific group.

- My humour does not always travel well.  I agree with her, but I was making a comment on 'political correctness' at the same time.  I was clearly unclear.