The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– ‘Needless anxiety’ –
While veteran opposition leader Odinga, 72, claimed 2013 polls were stolen from him, he took his grievances to the courts and ended up accepting his loss.
But in 2007-2008, in a poll observers said was riddled with irregularities, his loss prompted an eruption of ethno-political violence, leaving 1,100 dead and 600,000 displaced.
“We do not want to see any violence in Kenya. We know the consequences of what happened in 2008 and we don’t want to see a repeat of that,” Odinga told CNN in an interview.
However he repeated his assertion that “I don’t control anybody. People want to see justice.”
In the Kondele neighbourhood of the western city of Kisumu — where protests erupted on Wednesday — hundreds of celebrating Odinga supporters took to the streets, banging drums and blowing vuvuzelas after Mudavadi’s announcement.
“We are happy,” said 35-year-old Anthony Karaba, as a police helicopter hovered overhead.
“We need peace and we need the correct results.”
In Nairobi’s Mathare slum, where the capital’s police chief said officers shot dead two men who had allegedly attacked them with machetes on Wednesday, scores of people streamed through the streets shouting “Uhuru must go”.
On Thursday many businesses remained closed and the streets were very quiet in the capital and elsewhere.
“We find ourselves at a crossroads once again,” the Daily Nation newspaper warned grimly.
MUDAVADI: The actual results is the one in the servers and not those displayed on the IEBC screens. #ElectionsKE
— The EastAfrican (@The_EastAfrican) August 10, 2017
MUDAVADI: We therefore demand that the IEBC declare that Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka as the ultimate winners of the #ElectionsKE
— The EastAfrican (@The_EastAfrican) August 10, 2017
KENYAN oppositions claims they have received results from confidential electoral agency staff showing they have won the election#ElectionsKE
— Allan Olingo (@allanolingo) August 10, 2017
Nasa claims a confidential source at IEBC says Raila Odinga has 8.04m votes while President Uhuru Kenyatta has 7.75m votes. #ElectionsKE
— The EastAfrican (@The_EastAfrican) August 10, 2017
We urge Kenyans to exercise patience at this point in time – Musalia Mudavadi, Nasa Co-principal #ElectionsKE #Decision2017
— The EastAfrican (@The_EastAfrican) August 10, 2017
