UPDATE: FRIDAY NIGHT: Reports of violence and protest in Kisumu, Kibera, and Kawangware after the announcement of results.

We will be monitoring the situation. Report any violence to 20166 or uchaguzi.co.ke.

Hours before the President is Announced

With the eagerly awaited announcement of the Presidential result and the publicly contested provisional results that were aired in the media, it is of no surprise that most of the posts that we received today centered around counting irregularities, protest over the declared results and incidences of violence. We have received a total of 342 reports around counting and results and security issues during the election week.  Between the 10th and the 11th of August, we received and published onto the Uchaguzi platform a total of 38 reports mostly via direct SMS messages onto the platform and through crowdsources information from Twitter and the media.

       

                        Figure 1: Source of Incident Report

       

Most of the issues raised centered on citizen concerns around counting irregularities and protests over declared results. In Nairobi, we received the largest amount of reports on challenges with vote counting including irregularities with the transport of ballot boxes. Nairobi also saw the highest number of protests over the declared results based on the posts that we received.

        

                       Figure 2: Issues Reported

Incidences of violence, mobilization towards violence and demonstrations were also mostly reported in Nairobi. We also saw increased tension in Kisumu, in Mombasa region and in Garissa (Northern Frontier). Reports from Nairobi came in concerning violence in Babadogo and Mathare with police firing gunshots to disperse crowds. Violence was also reported in Kawangware and in Kibera, protests went on for over a day. In Garissa, widespread protests were reported over alleged voter fraud by the declared governor and the IEBC (electoral commission). Gunshots and burning in a Garissa market were also brought forward. In Kilifi, there was an incident of a standoff as Police blocked politicians from accessing a county tallying centre.  In Kisumu, reports on Police spraying water at citizens was also reported.

 

                            Figure 3: Location against Incident Reported

          

On a lighter note, from long and short lines, queuing at midnight on the 8th of August, scaling walls to be first in line and baring Kenya’s ‘winter,’ the social media sphere has been abuzz with heartbreaking and heartwarming images.

We had a woman giving birth in line, to senior citizens over 100yrs old casting voting and inmates voting for the first time in the history of our Nation. There were images circulating of young families in line dressed in the Kenyan flag, to dads carrying their children and to a woman carrying her dog on her back so as to be first in line. What can be certain is that Kenyans came in large numbers to exercise their right to vote.

Finally, the internet sensation #Githeriman served to unify Kenyans and to ease the building tensions brought on by the delays in announcing the Presidential results.

The commentary and photo-shop skills of Kenyans on the ‘githeri’ man seen everywhere in the world, has served as a reminder of the humor and light hearted nature of the Kenyan people.

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