NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) – Kenyan police clashed with opposition protesters in parts of Nairobi and in the west of the country who tried to block voting Thursday in an election boycotted by their leader Raila Odinga, AFP correspondents said.
In several western towns, protesters blocked roads and barricaded the entrances to polling stations, lobbing rocks at police who fired teargas to disperse them. In the slums of the Kenyan capital, police also engaged in running battles with residents trying to prevent voting.
Odinga had asked his supporters to stay away from an election he said would not be free or fair, leaving many polling stations empty in his strongholds.
Even areas loyal to President Uhuru Kenyatta showed a slow turnout, compared to the previous election on August 8 which was later annulled by the Supreme Court due to “irregularities.” (Agence France-Presse)