Published on: 08/09/2022 – 08:14 Modified on: 08/09/2022 – 20:44
More than 22 million voters were called to the polls on Tuesday 9 August to vote six times: for elected local officials (governors, senators or even MPs), but also for their future president. An awaited duel between William Ruto, the outgoing Vice President, and Raila Odinga, a veteran of Kenyan political life.
In the districts of Kibera and Kilimani, where our correspondent in Nairobi went, Florence MoriceTuesday morning’s voting started quietly and on time, although some delays in the opening were reported in the country. Queues had formed in the middle of the night at the Olympic School in the Kibera district, one of the cradles of the 2017 protest, and voters RFI spoke to expressed confidence that the process would be peaceful throughout the year.
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Same tone at Kilimani Primary School, still in Nairobi. The vote is peaceful. One voter, Edwin Kigani, hopes that the Kenyans have matured democratically while waiting in line at the polling station. “It’s very different than usual. Kenya is a mature democracy. We’ve come a long way since the 1990s, from single-party to multi-party to the 2010 Constitution. People know what’s good for their lives. Especially since we are currently recovering from the Covid. People don’t need chaos. Let’s vote and get back to work. The economic crisis has hit Kenyans hard, with more than four million people losing their jobs. So we need a new government to take action to revitalize our economy. »
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William Ruto was the first to go to the polls this morning. He chose in the village of Kosachei near Eldoret in his native Rift Valley. And said he was confident on the exit. “Everyone here wants a peaceful process. We even heard a spontaneous prayer that this election would be peaceful. I am delighted that the process that should culminate in the election of the next Kenyan heads of state and government is finally underway. I would like to ask all voters to join me in the practice of voting peacefully and consciously. I am convinced that the people of Kenya will make a decision that will lead our country into the future. »
Raila Odinga voted at the elementary school in Old Kibera, one of the capital’s slums, where a cheering crowd awaited him. It’s his fifth time running for office and his supporters want to believe it’s the right one. He spoke as he left his residence in Karen to go there. “I will exercise my democratic right and vote as we always do. We did our best throughout the campaign, in our entire country, Kenya. The ball is now in the hands of the people and I am confident that the people of Kenya will speak out loud and clear for democratic change. The duel between these two heavyweights of Kenyan politics promises to be very close.
Here and there we find some dissatisfied with not finding their names on the electoral rolls, but that remains marginal. Authorities said they had deployed 150,000 police officers across the country. Many voters hope this year’s by-elections will be peaceful. But yesterday’s distribution of the material across the country was marred by a few incidents of ballots being sent to the wrong place or mistakes in candidates’ photos. Result: The Electoral Commission canceled four municipal elections, including that for the governorship in the city of Mombasa in the east of the country. In response, the party of Raila Odingaone of the competition’s heavyweights, protested because he thinks he’s the favorite in this big coastal city and that, even when it comes to local elections, that could have implications for the presidential election.
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Polling stations closed at 2 p.m. UT. Voter turnout at the time was 56.1%, but did not take into account voters who identified themselves manually rather than biometrically. The Electoral Commission, under a lot of pressure after the cancellation of the 2017 election, admitted errors in biometric kits used to identify voters in 200 polling stations out of a total of 46,000 and now has 7 days or until August 16 to do the announce results.
General elections in Kenya: William Ruto, one of the challengers in the presidential elections, voted this Tuesday, August 9th at the polling station of the Kosachei elementary school in Sugoi. Portal-BAZ RATNER