(By: Jefrey Gettleman)
Millions of Kenyans poured into polling stations across the country on Monday in a crucial, anxiously-awaited presidential election, and early reports said some violence erupted in the coastal region around Mombasa, recalling far greater bloodletting in the last national ballot five years ago.
Across the land, the turnout appeared to be tremendous. Starting hours before dawn, lines of voters wrapped in blankets and heavy coats stretched for nearly a mile in some places.
But in Mombasa, on the Indian Ocean, at least four police officers were butchered with machetes in an overnight attack that authorities believe was carried out by the Mombasa Republican Council, a fringe separatist group that opposes the elections and believes Kenya’s coast should be a separate country.
News reports put the death toll higher, with Reuters quoting senior police officials as saying nine security officers, two civilians and six attackers had died. Other reports put the tally at 12.
A Kenyan official said gunmen have taken control of 2 polling stations near the Somali border, the Associated Press reported.
Kenya’s top politicians are urging voters to remain calm and avoid the mayhem that erupted at the end of 2007 and early 2008 when a disputed election ignited ethnic grievances and set off clashes that killed more than 1,000 people.
This election is the most complicated Kenya has ever held. A host of new positions have been created, like governorships, senate seats and county women’s representatives, in an attempt to change the winner-take-all nature of Kenyan politics.
Raila Odinga, Kenya’s prime minister and one of the leading contenders for president, brimmed with confidence as he stepped into a cardboard ballot box in a Nairobi slum and cast his vote. "Today, Kenyans have a date with destiny," he said.
His main rival is Uhuru Kenyatta, a Kikuyu and the son of Kenya’s first president. Kenyatta has also been charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity, accused of bankrolling Kikuyu death squads that murdered scores of Luo civilians in 2008.
Key candidates
PM RAILA ODINGA: He lost to Kibaki in 2007 and has joined forces with former rival, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, to form Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD). Odinga commands a cult-like following among his Luo tribe which hails from the west of the country near Lake Victoria.
DEPUTY PM UHURU KENYATTA: Kenyatta, 51, is the son of the Kenya’s founding President Jomo Kenyatta. He lost to Kibaki in the 2002 vote. Backed by Kikuyu loyalists, Kenyatta has picked a running mate from the rival Kalenjin tribe, William Ruto, to form Jubilee alliance.
How it works
* To win outright, a candidate needs more than 50 percent of the votes cast by the 14 million eligible voters, or it goes to a run-off between the top two on April 11.
* Provisional results could emerge hours after polling stations close. Official announcement must be within a week after the vote.
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* Originally published on the New York Times, on Mar 05 2013, titled "Millions vote in crucial Kenyan elections", authored by Jefrey Gettleman.
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