KENYA: Odinga calls for votes boycott, civil unrest as election begins

Raila Odinga, the presidential candidate of the National Super Alliance (NASA) and leading Kenyan opposition leader, has called on his supporters to boycott Thursday’s repeat presidential election and persuade their friends to do the same.

Odinga who, however, backed away from previous promises to hold large-scale protests on election day said he would lead a campaign of civil disobedience against the government.

“We advise Kenyans who value democracy and justice to hold vigil and prayers away from polling stations, or just stay at home,” he told a cheering crowd of thousands of people on Wednesday in Uhuru Park, in the capital Nairobi.

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“Convince your friends, neighbours and everyone else not participate,” he said, but if they support the president, he cautioned “do not insult or assault them. Instead, seek to open their eyes.”

Meanwhile, the electorate in Kenya are prepared to start voting in the contentious presidential election rerun with polls opening at 6am local time (3:00 GMT) and will close at 5pm (14:00 GMT).

More than 19 millions voters are registered to cast their vote in the election which sees President Uhuru Kenyatta, 55, seeking a second and final five year term in office. He won 54 percent of the votes in the nullified poll.

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