Kenyans have turned out to vote in the controversial fresh presidential election, as Catholic bishops in the East African nation urged respect of each individual's right to vote or abstain and the upholding of peace.
“Let us allow those who wish to vote, to vote peacefully and willingly and those who wish to abstain from voting to stay away from the polling stations,” said Bishop Philip Anyolo, the chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) in a bishops’ statement on Wednesday (25 October).
“We ask our two leaders to urge their supporters to remain peaceful, before, during and after regardless of the outcome.”
The main opposition, the National Super Alliance NASA coalition is reported to have boycotted the polls. So far the turn out to vote has been low, a far cry from the 8 August polls.
Raila Odinga, the NASA coalition leader, has been campaigning against the polls, telling his supporters that there will be no election today.
Odinga has since announced the upgrading of his NASA Coalition into what he called a National Resistance Movement (NRM). His supporters had also engaged in protests across the country.
At the same time, the bishops said hardening political positions and failing to reign in violent supporters would only lead to deep ethnic divisions and use of excessive force by the police to quell any violence. That would worsen the social and economic crisis and lead to a break down of law and order.
Today, tensions have remained high in NASA strongholds. Protesters have engaged the police in running battles, with others blocking polling stations and preventing voters from accessing the polling booths. By late afternoon, voting had not started in Kisumu, Siaya and Migori regions of the western Kenya.
The polls were ordered by the Supreme Court on 1 September, after the sitting nullified the re-election of President Kenyatta over illegalities and irregularities in the general elections held on 8 August.
Before the poll, the bishops had engaged in continuous dialogue and mediation with political actors and other political stakeholders.
“We continue to urge Kenyatta and Odinga to prevent tensions in the country in order to avert the worst political and security scenarios prevailing in the country,” said the bishops.
At least two people have reportedly killed in Kisumu city and Athi River town near Nairobi. Scores of others have been injured as the protests turned violent in the opposition strongholds.
On 23 October, Fr. Evans Juma Oduor, the priest in charge of Nyabondo Parish in Kisumu Archdiocese died after he was found unconscious near a sugar plantation in the area. Oduor’s death is being linked to the election on the social media.
Reports indicate that Oduor had criticised the government over recent killing of members of the Luo community during earlier protests. In a recent homily, he had urged Kenyatta to stop killing Luos, according to news reports.
PICTURE: The National Super Alliance (NASA) supporter waving poster during a rally at Uhuru Park Nairobi where Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga asked his followers to boycott repeat of presidential elections
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