Uhuru Kenyatta poised for victory in Kenyan election [View all]

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Source: The Guardian

Uhuru Kenyatta, accused by the international criminal court (ICC) of committing crimes against humanity, looked set on Friday night to win Kenya's presidency. But there were concerns about the credibility of a vote in which deputy prime minister Kenyatta led the prime minister, Raila Odinga, by about 7% with more than 80% of constituencies having reported. Diplomats were worried they might have to weaken ties with the East African nation if Kenyatta is elected.

The ballot went off relatively smoothly on Monday, despite widespread fears of violence. Five years ago, more than 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced over disputed polls, and Kenyatta is accused of organising that violence. But excepting a few coastal skirmishes, this time the elections were peaceful, winning praise from international observers.

However, the vote counting has been marred by delays and technological breakdowns since then. The problems began almost immediately when thousands of electronic voter identification devices failed, forcing poll workers to use the slower method of printed lists. Once voting finished, bigger problems started, beginning with a glitch in an electronic transmission system designed to securely send results to the national tallying centre in Nairobi.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) identified the problem as low disk space which caused a slowdown in transmission, and declared the issue solved. But by Wednesday afternoon, only 40% of results were in, so IEBC chairperson, Ahmed Issack Hassan, decided to scrap the whole apparatus and call the 291 constituency officers to Nairobi for a manual tally.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/08/uhuru-kenyatta-kenyan-election

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NYT analysis: "Vote Count Leader in Kenya Faces U.S. With Tough Choices":

Does the United States put a premium on its commitment to justice and ending impunity - as it has emphasized across the continent - and distance itself from Mr. Kenyatta should he clinch this election?

Or would that put at risk all the other strategic American interests vested in Kenya, a vital ally in a volatile region and a crucial hub for everything from billion-dollar health programs and American corporations to spying on agents of Al Qaeda?

Even the little things could be tricky. Are the American diplomats who interact with the Kenyan government on a daily basis not supposed to shake Mr. Kenyatta's hand? What about sharing a dais with him? The British have already publicly stated that they will avoid any contact unless it is essential.