Voting is under way in Kenya’s presidential election, where an opposition leader backed by the outgoing premier faces the deputy president who styles himself as the outsider and a “hustler”.
The election is considered close and East Africa’s economic
hub could see a presidential run-off for the first time.
Economic issues such as widespread corruption could be of
greater importance than the ethnic tensions that have marked past votes with
sometimes deadly results.
Kenya is a standout with its relatively democratic system
in a region where some leaders are notorious for clinging to power for decades.
Its stability is crucial for foreign investors, the most
humble of street vendors and troubled neighbours like Ethiopia and Somalia.
Hundreds of voters lined up hours ahead of polls opening in
some locations, often after being summoned by volunteers’ early-morning
whistles.
Voting started late in some areas as materials or polling
workers were delayed.
The top candidates are Raila Odinga, a democracy campaigner
who has vied for the presidency for a quarter of a century, and Deputy
President William Ruto, 55, who has stressed his journey from a humble
childhood to appeal to millions of struggling Kenyans long accustomed to
political dynasties.
“In moments like this is when the mighty and the powerful
come to the realisation that it is the simple and the ordinary that eventually
make the choice,” Mr Ruto told journalists after becoming one of the first voters.
“I look forward to our victorious day.”
He urged Kenyans to be peaceful and respect others’
choices.
“I have confidence that the people of Kenya are going to
speak loudly in favour of democratic change,” Mr Odinga told journalists on his
way to vote.
Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya’s first
president, cut across the usual ethnic lines and angered Mr Ruto by backing Mr
Odinga after their bitter 2017 election contest.
But both Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto have chosen running mates
from the country’s largest ethnic group, the Kikuyu.
Mr Odinga, 77, has made history by choosing running mate
Martha Karua, a former justice minister and the first woman to be a leading
contender for the deputy presidency.
“Make your voice heard,” she said after voting early in a
knitted cap, a sign of the unusually cold weather in parts of the country.
Rising food and fuel prices, huge government debt, high
unemployment and corruption mean economic issues are at the centre of an
election in which unregulated campaign spending highlighted the country’s
inequality.
“We need mature people to lead, not someone who abuses
people. Someone who respects elders,” said 55-year-old teacher Rosemary Mulima,
who arrived with friends at a polling station on the outskirts of Nairobi to
find an estimated 500 people in the queuel before dawn.
She said she had “very high” hopes for Mr Odinga on his
fifth try.
Others predicted a lower turnout than the 80% five years
ago and blamed voter apathy. The electoral commission signed up less than half
of the new voters it had hoped for – just 2.5 million.
“The problems from 2017, the economy, the day to day life,
are still here,” said 38-year-old shopkeeper Adrian Kibera, who was not sure he
would bother to vote. “We don’t have good choices,” he said, calling Mr Odinga
too old and Mr Ruto too inexperienced. AP
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