KENYATTA WINS !!! GUUL FOR SOMALIA !!!

[AbdiWahab252]

Mashallah !

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... t-18688180


By JASON STRAZIUSO Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya March 9, 2013 (AP)

Kenya's election commission posted complete results early Saturday showing that Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta prevailed in the country's presidential elections by the slimmest of margins, winning 50.03 percent of the vote.

That result is likely to bring controversy in Kenya and an almost certain legal challenge from Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Kenyatta needed to break the 50 percent barrier to avoid a run-off with Odinga, but he did so by only 4,099 votes out of more than 12.3 million cast.

Monday's presidential vote was the first since Kenya's 2007 election sparked two months of tribe-on-tribe violence after a disputed election win was claimed by President Mwai Kibaki. More than 1,000 people were killed in attacks that included machetes, bows and arrows and police firearms.

A win by Kenyatta could greatly affect Kenya's relations with the West. Kenyatta faces charges at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in directing some of Kenya's 2007 postelection violence. His running mate, William Ruto, faces similar charges.

The U.S. has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's founding father, wins, as have several European countries. Britain, which ruled Kenya up until the early 1960s, has said they would have only essential contact with the Kenyan government if Kenyatta is president.
Kenya Election.JPEG
AP
One of presidential candidate Raila Odinga's... View Full Caption

Odinga's camp has indicated legal challenges could be filed. Monday's presidential vote proceeded mostly peacefully, but the counting process has been stymied by a myriad of break-downs and errors.

That the winner was quietly revealed overnight — at about 2:35 a.m. local time — came as somewhat of a surprise. At about midnight the electoral commission said it would give a formal announcement of the winner at 11 a.m. Kenya time (3 a.m. EST) Saturday. Observers believed that the decision was made in part not reveal a winner overnight, something that could stir suspicions and put security forces at a disadvantage if rioting broke out.

In order to win outright, Kenyatta must not only get more than 50 percent of the vote but also must garner at least 25 percent of the vote in 24 out of Kenya's 47 provinces. Because of the way the election commission announced results, it was difficult to immediately determine if Kenyatta passed that bar.

Diplomats said they believed Odinga was not likely to protest the vote in a manner that would increase the chances of violence, but rather honor his pledge to respect the result and petition the courts with any grievances. Odinga scheduled a news conference for later Saturday morning.

The Kenyan capital has been sleepy since Monday's vote for president, the country's first election since its 2007 vote sparked tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1,000 people. But security forces in riot gear took to the streets Friday in regions of the city that could turn tumultuous after results are announced.

The prime minister's supporters took to the streets in 2007 after Odinga said he had been cheated. In Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum and a bastion of Odinga support, many believe this year's results have been rigged as well.

The results showed Odinga with 43.3 percent.

"If you look at the way the tallying is being done there is rigging," said Isiah Omondi, 27. "If Uhuru wins and wins fairly, we don't have a problem with him. He can be our president. But not like this."

The election outcome is being closely watched by the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is larger than any American mission in Africa, underscoring Kenya's strong role in U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. also has military forces stationed here near the border with Somalia. Kenya, the lynchpin of East Africa's economy, plays a vital security role in the fight against Somali militants.

Kenyatta's International Criminal Court trial is set to begin in July and could take years, meaning that if he wins he may have to rule Kenya from The Hague, Netherlands, for much of his five-year term. Another option is, as president, to decide not to attend the trial. But that decision would trigger an international arrest warrant and spark even more damaging effects for Kenya's standing with the West.

Kenyatta has promised to report to The Hague, even if he wins the presidency. The ICC on Friday delayed the trial of Ruto until late May.

Odinga's camp may have grounds to file legal challenges after myriad failures in the systems Kenya's electoral commission set up.

For instance, an electronic voter ID system intended to prevent fraud failed across the country for lack of electricity in some cases and overheating computers in others. Vote officials instead used manual voter rolls.
APTOPIX Kenya Election.JPEG
AP
Torn election posters litter the streets of... View Full Caption

After the polls closed, results were to be sent electronically to Nairobi, where officials would quickly tabulate a preliminary vote count in order to maximize transparency after rigging accusations following the 2007 vote. But that system failed, too. Election officials have indicated that computer servers overloaded but have yet to fully explain the problem.

On Tuesday, as the early count system was still being used, election results showed more than 330,000 rejected ballots, an unusually high number. But after the count resumed with the arrival in Nairobi of manual tallies, the number of rejected ballots were greatly reduced, and the election commission on Thursday gave the head-scratching explanation that the computer was mistakenly multiplying the number of rejected ballots by a factor of eight.

Odinga's camp on Thursday said some votes had been doctored and called for a halt to the tallying process, saying it "lacked integrity." A day earlier, Kenyatta's camp accused the British high commissioner of meddling in the election and asked aloud why there were an unusually high number of British troops in the country.

The election commission has denied any of the results have been altered.

There were fears going into the election that the violence that rocked Kenya five years ago would return. A separatist group on the coast launched attacks on Monday that ended in the deaths of 19 people, but the vote and its aftermath has otherwise been largely peaceful.

But it's the announcement of results that could stir protests, especially if the supporters of either camp feel robbed.

———

Associated Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza and Tom Odula contributed to this report.

[MarsinQorahay]

How is this guul for Somalia?

[AbdiWahab252]

Kenyatta victory promises trouble for Kenya

Presidential frontrunner must stand trial for crimes against humanity at The Hague in July

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Simon Tisdall
Simon Tisdall
guardian.co.uk, Friday 8 March 2013 13.24 EST
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(FILES) This photo taken on January 12,
Presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta has promised to attend his trial for human rights abuses - just not all the time. Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

The victory of Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya's presidential race, if confirmed, would lead the international community into dangerously unfamiliar territory, with possibly far-reaching deleterious consequences for US and British relations with the country, UN operations and the struggle against al-Qaida-style Islamist extremism.

Along with his running mate, William Ruto, and two others, Kenyatta faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague arising from post-election violence in 2007. Legally speaking, his victory would mean that the leader of one of Africa's foremost states must stand trial in July for alleged wrongdoing that could result in a life sentence in a foreign jail.

Such a spectacle would inevitably be portrayed as partisan, biased, and part of the post-colonial west's alleged wider vendetta against black Africa. Worse, it could compromise the arguably much stronger but so far stalemated ICC genocide and war crimes case against Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, and possible future cases involving, for example, Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

The US, Britain and leading figures including Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, have already made clear, in a roundabout way, that Kenyatta's victory would not be welcome. Britain has indicated officials will avoid any but essential contact with him. If London sticks to this approach, a diplomatic rift may be unavoidable.

British diplomats in Kenya have often been accused of interfering in the country's internal affairs, going back to the time of former president Daniel Arap Moi.

Earlier this week, the Kenyatta campaign accused the British high commissioner of "shadowy, suspicious and rather animated involvement" in the election, a claim rejected by Britain. Once Kenyatta is in office, British diplomats may face a Robert Mugabe-style dilemma over whether to meet him, shake his hand, or even sit down in the same room.

The US is in a similarly awkward position. The Obama administration's top Africa diplomat, Johnnie Carson, warned pointedly before the poll that "choices have consequences", a comment widely seen as a recommendation that voters back Kenyatta's opponent, Raila Odinga.

"This is going to pose a very awkward situation," Jendayi Frazer, a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told the New York Times. "Kenyatta knows he needs the United States, and the United States knows it needs Kenya."

Vital American interests include Kenyan cooperation in the fight against al-Qaida affiliates that have mounted attacks on western targets in Nairobi, Mombasa and in neighbouring Somalia.

Kenya's assistance and leadership is seen as crucial in the battle against Indian Ocean piracy and in tackling regional problems including violence and mass displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN, which created the ICC, relies on bases in Kenya from which to help run big trans-national operations across the continent.

Open confrontation may yet be avoided. Already the ICC has agreed to postpone the trial, at the defence's request, from April to July. Further delays and postponements are entirely possible, especially since the defence claims crucial witness evidence has been undercut. And whatever the US and Britain do, most countries, most importantly China, can be expected to turn a blind eye.

Kenyatta has been clever, too. He has pledged to attend his trial, though not continually – a legal novelty for the ICC. As a result, so far at least, he has not been detained and arraigned like others, such as Slobodan Milošević, the late Yugoslav strongman. And the chief prosecutor has indicated that the trial, once it starts, could drag on for years. The only conviction the ICC has secured so far, of Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, took six years.

On this basis, Kenyatta could be running for re-election before his trial is anywhere near finished.

[grandpakhalif]

How is he pro - Somalia? And what will his role be in dismantling the Kenyan lead effort in Kismaayo? I hope he brings the KDF troops home so that the pro-govt clans like Sade and Hawiye can finally establish a government presence in Kismaayo.

[original dervish]

too early to tell.
We cannot have any Govt in Kismayo until J?land is formed.

[Jaidi]

Did RAO concede?

[Titanium]

Wasn't this election last week? They are still counting the ballots?

These third world hellholes need to step up their game. We know who the winner is 1 minute after polls close with 0 of the precincts reporting

[MarsinQorahay]

How is he pro - Somalia? And what will his role be in dismantling the Kenyan lead effort in Kismaayo? I hope he brings the KDF troops home so that the pro-govt clans like Sade and Hawiye can finally establish a government presence in Kismaayo.

old nigga snapped

[AbdiWahab252]

Kenya election: Uhuru Kenyatta 'wins vote count'

Mr Kenyatta denies fuelling communal violence after the 2007 presidential vote
Continue reading the main story
Kenya Elections

Tech hub drubbing
Obama defeated - and other news
Q&A: Confusing election
Mapping the divides
Kenya's Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta appears to have won the presidential election by the tightest of margins, provisional results indicate.

After all the votes were counted he had polled 50.03% of the vote, 4,109 votes over the threshold required for outright victory.

But the official result will not come until 11:00 on Saturday (08:00 GMT).

Rival candidate Raila Odinga is likely to file a legal challenge if he loses.

Mr Kenyatta won 6,173,433 votes out of a total of 12,338,667, well ahead of the prime minister, who polled 5,340,546 - or 43.28% of the vote.

However, both candidates have complained of irregularities during the course of the count, since Monday's election.

If Mr Kenyatta is confirmed by Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), he could face difficult relations with Western countries.

He faces trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in July for crimes against humanity.

He is accused of fuelling communal violence after the 2007 election that saw more than 1,000 people killed and 600,000 forced from their homes.

Mr Kenyatta's running mate, William Ruto, also faces similar charges.

Both men deny the accusations.

The ICC has agreed to postpone Mr Ruto's trial by a month until May after his lawyers complained of not having enough time to prepare his defence.

Countries including the US and UK have hinted that his election as president would have consequences for their relations with the Nairobi government - comments which have been dismissed in Nairobi as unwanted foreign interference in domestic matters.

Technical glitches
Kenya's new electronic voting system was designed to eliminate the chance of vote-rigging and with it any risk of a repeat of the post-poll violence of 2007.

But the count has been plagued with technical glitches, including a programming error that led to the number of rejected votes being multiplied by a factor of eight. By Wednesday, the electronic system was abandoned and the count restarted by hand.

According to Kenya's election rules, the winner needs to poll more than 50% of the vote to avoid a second round run-off next month.

If the election commission confirms that Mr Kenyatta has crossed the 50% threshold by such a narrow margin, observers believe Mr Odinga will undoubtedly challenge the outcome.

The prime minister's Cord alliance had earlier complained that votes from 11 constituencies were missing, in effect leaving him more than 250,000 votes short.

Both men passed a second condition needed for victory - at least 25% of the vote in more than half of the 47 counties.

Are you in Kenya? Did you vote in the presidential election? What is your reaction to the provisional results? Send us your comments using the form below.

[AbdiWahab252]

Did RAO concede?

Nope, but he can't make up the deficit. It looks like the IEBC made the announcement @ 3AM local time. KTN is ANNOUNCING IT !!!

[AbdiWahab252]

How is he pro - Somalia? And what will his role be in dismantling the Kenyan lead effort in Kismaayo? I hope he brings the KDF troops home so that the pro-govt clans like Sade and Hawiye can finally establish a government presence in Kismaayo.

He will not be ProWestern and will be obsessed with internal affairs and not being a water boy for Obama & Cameron like Kibaki !!!

[Jaidi]

Did RAO concede?

Nope, but he can't make up the deficit. It looks like the IEBC made the announcement @ 3AM local time. KTN is ANNOUNCING IT !!!

Sounds like Uhuru just barely got to 50 percent. With the thousands of spoiled ballots and the close margin, I say there is no chance Raila concedes. Kenya might be focked

[original dervish]

He will do whatever he is told to do.....just like all the other African leaders.
KDF will be staying in Somalia as long as the bills are getting paid.

[grandpakhalif]

Kenyatta sounds like a man the Western mafia bosses hate, that makes him already likable to me

[Jaidi]

Raila Odinga, Kenya’s prime minister and the second-place contender, with 43 percent of the vote, will reject the result, one of his top advisers said Saturday morning. Many people fear such a development could lead to the type of confusion and violence that erupted in 2007, in Kenya’s last disputed election, when Mr. Odinga said he was cheated out of victory.

“Raila has no intention of conceding and will be challenging this in court,” said Salim Lone, the adviser to Mr. Odinga. “The level of the failures in the system makes it very difficult to believe it was a credible result, and if Uhuru is declared president, Raila will go to court.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/world ... ref=africa