NAIROBI, KENYA (AP) – Kenya’s peaceful presidential election saw a brief disruption when riot police responded to scuffles at the national tallying centre amid tensions over the close results.
An agent for longtime opposition leader and candidate Raila Odinga announced from the lectern that the tallying centre was the “scene of a crime” before calm was restored late on Saturday. The agent, Saitabao Ole Kanchory, offered no evidence in the latest example of the unverified claims that both top campaigns have made as Kenya waits for official results.
The electoral commission has seven days from last Tuesday’s election to announce results.
Chair Wafula Chebukati on Saturday again said the process was too slow, and the commission told nonessential people watching at the centre to leave.
Police remained at the center on Sunday morning.
“We must all avoid raising tensions that could easily trigger violence,” local human rights groups and professional associations said in a joint statement on Sunday urging restraint from candidates and their supporters.
