Machete-wielding gangs kill at least 15 as Kenyans vote - World News Machete-wielding gangs kill at least 15 as Kenyans vote By World News Slideshow: Kenyans vote in crucial election Goran Tomasevic / Reuters Five years after more than 1,200 people were killed in election-related violence, Kenyans went to the polls in a nationwide election seen as the most important in the country's 50-year history since independence. Launch slideshow By Joseph Akwiri, Reuters NAIROBI, Kenya - At least 15 people were killed in attacks by machete-wielding gangs on Monday as Kenyans lined-up to vote in a presidential election they hope will rebuild the nation's image after a disputed 2007 poll unleashed weeks of tribal bloodshed. Just hours before the start of voting and with long queues across the east African country, at least nine security officers in Kenya's restive coastal region were hacked to death, and six attackers were also killed, regional police chief Aggrey Adoli said. The total toll had earlier been put at 17.

<br> Follow @NBCNewsWorld There were two separate attacks which senior police officers blamed on a separatist movement - which, if confirmed, would suggest different motives to those that caused the post-2007 vote ethnic killings and could limit their impact. Officials and candidates have made impassioned appeals to avoid a repeat of the tribal rampages that erupted five years ago when disputes over the poll result fuelled clashes between tribal loyalists of rival candidates. More than 1,200 people were killed, shattering Kenya's reputation as one of Africa's most stable democracies and bringing its economy to a standstill. As in 2007, the race has come down to a high-stakes duel between two candidates, this time between Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the loser in 2007 to outgoing President Mwai Kibaki. Both contenders will depend heavily on votes from tribal loyalists.

The United States and Western donors are worried about the stability of a nation that is an ally in the fight against militant Islam in the region but are also fretting what to do if the victor is Kenyatta, who faces charges by the International Criminal Court of orchestrating violence five years ago. Provisional results could emerge hours after polls close at 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) although the election commission has seven days to announce the official outcome. Polls suggest the election could go to a run-off, provisionally set for April. Jan 28, 2008: Ethnic clashes have killed more than 800 people across Kenya, and post-election violence threatens to engulf a country that has long been a model of stability in Africa. NBC's Ned Colt reports. "If elected, we will be able to discharge our duties," said Kenyatta's running mate, William Ruto who also faces charges of crimes against humanity. "We shall cooperate with the court with a final intention of clearing our names." 'We want our own country' One of the attacks on Monday took place outside Mombasa and another in Kilifi about 80 miles to the north.

Senior police officers blamed them on a separatist movement, the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), which wanted the national vote scrapped and a referendum on secession instead. At the Kilifi site, Reuters footage showed a piece of paper on the ground with the words: "MRC. Coast is not Kenya. We don't want elections. We want our own country." But there was no formal claim and no independent confirmation of the assailants. Even before the violence, many Kenyans were wary, notably in flashpoints last time. Some shopkeepers ran down stocks and some people in mixed tribal areas returned to their homelands. Bernard Otundo, 36, queuing in Nairobi shortly before polls opened at 6 a.m. said he expected a peaceful vote. Jan. 2, 2008: More than 100,000 people across Kenya have left their homes after riots and violence erupted following a disputed presidential election. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports. "Some of us have been here as early as 2 a.m. this morning. I got here slightly after 3 a.m.," he said.

"There have been a lot of awareness campaigns against violence and I don't think it will happen this time around, whatever the outcome." Kenya's neighbors are watching nervously, after their economies felt the shockwaves when violence five years ago shut down trade routes running through east Africa's biggest economy. Some landlocked states have stockpiled fuel and other materials. Adding to tension, the al Shabaab Islamist militant group battling Kenyan peacekeeping troops in Somalia, repeated calls on Nairobi to remove its forces, threatening retaliation. Related: ICC and Kenya | Africa - News and Analysis Reuters Tue Apr 5, 2016 AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Judges at the International Criminal Court declared a mistrial in the case of Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, throwing out the charges he faced over post-election violence because political interference had made a fair trial impossible. “The proceedings are declared a mistrial due to a troubling incidence of witness interference and intolerable political meddling,” judges said in a ruling issued on Tuesday and seen by Reuters. The collapse of the case against Ruto and his co-accused, broadcaster Joshua arap Sang, follows that last year of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In both cases, judges have found that witnesses linking the two to murderous violence that followed Kenya’s 2007 elections were bribed or threatened into silence. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Alison Williams) Deputy President William Ruto with his lawyer Karim Khan at the ICC in October 2013. Photo/DPPS BY OLIVER MATHENGE October 27, 2015 The DP’s defence team has accused the ICC of neither sufficiently investigating nor providing evidence linking him to the 2007/8 post-election violence. In a 95-page no-case-to-answer motion, the team says charges against DP William Ruto should not have gotten to trial because witnesses used to confirm them did not take the stand. “The disintegration of the OTP’s case cannot be blamed on extraneous factors, but derives directly from the serious deficiencies in the OTP’s investigations from the outset,” his lead lawyer Karim Khan told judges. “[This includes] the flawed decision to rely on witnesses sourced by the Waki Commission and the subsequent failure to properly investigate these witnesses’ original accounts.” Khan said only three of the six witnesses whose statements were used to confirm the charges appeared before the trial judges.

He explained that Witness P-0658 failed to testify in line with his original statement, “stating, in respect of one meeting relied upon at confirmation, that it was not a story that he…wanted to stand by.” Khan said the second witness was P-0743, who was declared “a thoroughly unreliable and incredible witness” by the OTP while on the stand. Details of the third witness who testified are edited in the document. “The fourth witness, P-0025, was withdrawn by the OTP as not reliable. The fifth witness, P-0015, was the subject of the summons decision but the OTP decided not to call him,” Karim said. “Finally, P-0024, who withdrew cooperation from the OTP for reasons unknown but was not made the subject of a summons request.” He added that the final analysis is that the “evidence relied upon by the Pre-Trial Chamber to confirm this case has evaporated.” Khan also said evidence presented in statements that are now the subject of the Appeals Chamber could not be relied on to support the charges by the Prosecution.

“An analysis of this disavowed or untested evidence shows it is mutually inconsistent, uncorroborated in its material incriminatory aspects and contradicted by other trial evidence including independent, objective evidence,” he aid. Ruto is accused of three counts of murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population and persecution during the post-poll chaos. He is facing crimes against humanity chargs alongside former journalist Joshua Sang. On the murder charge, Khan said a review of the trial record establishes there is no relevant evidence for Turbo town, Kapsabet town and Nandi Hills town, and insufficient evidence for Kimumu, Langas and Yamumbi. He said while some evidence has been led in relation to Huruma and Kiambaa, which may fall within the scope of the charges, there is no evidence linking Ruto to those killings. On deportation, Khan said despite the internal displacement that took place, the OTP has failed to lead any evidence that Kikuyus or perceived PNU supporters, who were attacked, were forcibly transferred outside the Rift Valley. “Instead, the evidence shows that such individuals sought refuge in local police stations and churches and that IDP camps were set up at locations such as Eldoret Showground,” Khan said.

Regarding the charge of persecution, Khan said the prosecution has not presented any evidence linking Ruto to the crimes. The DP has filed a motion of no-case-answer for each of the charges as the judges are considering them separately and will use evidence presented so far to make a determination. If the application is fully or partially rejected, the accused persons will have a case to answer for each of the charges. The defence teams will then present their case, where they will be free to call their witnesses to counter the prosecutor’s allegations. If the ‘no-case-to answer’ motions are allowed by the judges, the charges will be terminated and the case brought to an end. ICC cautions Kenya on Kenyatta media leaks Mr Kenyatta was elected in 2013, despite facing charges at the ICC The International Criminal Court (ICC) has warned Kenya’s government against leaking information from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s case to the media. Mr Kenyatta became the first serving head of state to appear at an ICC hearing earlier this month. He denies charges of crimes against humanity, including inciting violence after Kenya’s disputed 2007 polls. But the court says it is concerned over the Kenyan government’s ability to ensure confidentiality of the case.

In a report released on Tuesday , the ICC’s Trial Chamber V specifically referred to the leaking of details of a confidential request from the ICC judges to help freeze or seize President Kenyatta’s assets. The request was issued under seal, however, the Kenyan authorities filed public documents in 2013 referring to the request, which Mr Kenyatta’s lawyers later apologised for. Details of the request later resurfaced in Kenyan media in April and September this year, in what the court described as “a pattern of information contained in confidential filings being leaked to the media, in some cases even before the filings have been notified to the chamber”. It subsequently issued a “formal caution” to the Kenyan government, noting “cumulative inattention to the taking of appropriate measures to ensure the confidentiality of proceedings”. Mr Kenyatta is facing five charges relating to ethnic violence after the 2007 elections that left some 1,200 people dead and 600,000 displaced – the worst violence in Kenya since independence in 1963. On 8 October, he was summoned to appear at an ICC “status conference” – a pre-trial hearing.

But correspondents say the case has reached deadlock, with the prosecution accusing the Kenyan government of withholding vital evidence and the defence saying that without evidence, there should be no trial. BBC Acronymia nervosa: the CIA and the ICC 11 September 2014 Even if he embarrassed the country, Kebby Maphatsoe, Deputy Minister of Defence and Veterans, at least did new members of the diplomatic corps in Pretoria a favour by accusing Public Protector Thuli Madonsela of being a CIA agent. Many diplomats still arrive in this country under the naïve impression that they are coming to serve in the land of Mandela, a rather idyllic rainbow nation in love with itself and the entire world. Maphatsoe’s crude suggestion that the United States (US) was using Madonsela as an agent to undermine President Jacob Zuma would have been a wake-up call, alerting them to the sort of ideological sentiment that still runs strongly beneath the surface here, and sometimes emerges. It quite obviously didn’t occur to Maphatsoe, who is also the chairperson of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Military Veterans’ Association, that his remark might also offend the US.

For an MK vet, the US is still the great Satan, and accusing one’s enemy of being a CIA agent is as natural and as involuntary as breathing. And so he seemed taken aback when US Ambassador Patrick Gaspard – otherwise judicious in his choice of words – called his accusation ‘baseless and offensive’ and said he would lodge a complaint through diplomatic channels. That, and Madonsela’s threat to take action against him through her official powers, persuaded the government to have Maphatsoe retract his remark and apologise, even though grudgingly. Significantly, he did not also apologise to Gaspard or to the US. The embassy, knowing the lie of the land, so to speak, settled for the retraction of the remark. No one seems to have told Maphatsoe that the Cold War ended about 25 years ago It is easy to dismiss the previously obscure Maphatsoe as merely an absurd anomaly, an anachronism. He recalls those dogged Japanese soldiers who were reputedly still found dug into their foxholes in Pacific Islands, years after World War Two had ended. No one had told them the hostilities had ceased and, sadly, that their side had lost.

Likewise, no one seems to have told the war vet Maphatsoe that the Cold War ended about 25 years ago and, sadly, his side also lost. But, in some ways, he does not so much contradict as caricature the attitude and sentiment that underpin much government behaviour, almost like a collective unconscious. Maphatsoe had made his offending remarks while unveiling the tombstone of Umkhonto we Sizwe combatant Linda Jabane in Soweto. But a sentiment that was not so different surfaced in very different circumstances later in the week, at a high-level conference in Johannesburg on the troubled relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Africa. The conference, organised mainly by Africa Legal Aid, brought an unprecedented concentration of international judges and jurists to South Africa, including the heads or other representatives of all the courts in The Hague.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda; Navi Pillay, who has just retired as United Nations (UN) Human Rights Commissioner; and Tiina Intelmann, the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC were on a panel with Chief Justice and President of the Constitutional Court Mogoeng Mogoeng to discuss ‘Africa and the ICC: One Decade On.’ (The presidents of The Hague-based courts were in South Africa as part of the Dialogues for Peace and Justice programme, organised by the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.) Perhaps it is naïve to expect judicial detachment from a discussion on such a fraught topic, but even so, Mogoeng’s remarks took many of the audience by surprise because they were so political. As many others have done, Mogoeng lamented the fact that all cases before the ICC had to do with gross human rights violations by Africans.

‘This has resulted in the ICC being criticised by some African states as being selective and of questionable impartiality … a concern persists that the ICC appears to be targeting Africa in pursuit of political expediency.’ He added, ‘This perception is fuelled by the reality that gross human rights violations have taken place and continue to take place beyond the borders of Africa and yet, so say the critics of the ICC, there does not seem to be as much enthusiasm to deal with those atrocities as is the case with those committed in the African continent.’ Was he suggesting the US was after him? Or was that just a coincidence? The African Union’s reaction to the ICC’s indictment of two sitting presidents, Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta were ‘nothing less than red flashing bright lights’ – warning of the need to repair relations between the ICC and Africa before they severely damaged the fight against impunity, which the ICC was all about, Mogoeng said. So far, so good. While sticking to his prepared remarks, he had maintained judicial detachment, with caveats such as ‘so say the critics of the ICC.’ But then he went ‘off road,’ so to speak, by departing from the text and the going got rougher.

‘I think it is a bit hypocritical for the permanent members, or at least some of the permanent members of the UN Security Council [UNSC], not to sign the Rome statutes,’ said Mogoeng. ‘Talk about democracy, talk about the levelling of the playing field, talk about constitutionalism, the rule of law, you name it and yet the ones, notwithstanding their questionable track record in relation to the elimination of atrocities, [would] be the ones to decide who is to be taken to the ICC. ‘It undermines the good intentions that underpin the establishment of the ICC; the good intentions that inform the coming into being of the Rome statutes.’ Mogoeng went on to say that the ICC was really only addressing the symptoms of the problems of Africa and that ‘we have got to confront tendencies by some of these powerful countries to sponsor unconstitutional regime changes.

‘And those behind these undemocratic tendencies that often culminate in a massive loss of life must be exposed, the world must get to know that this and that power, even if that power happens to be a permanent member of the UNSC, is responsible for this and they are sponsoring these gross human rights violations…’ While he never mentioned the US by name, it seemed, by deduction, that this was the country to which he was referring: a permanent member of the Security Council which has not signed the Rome Statute, but nevertheless refers others to the ICC for prosecution. (Something the other two permanent members of the Security Council that have not signed the Rome Statute, Russia and China, are not inclined to do.) Former ICC judge Pillay, who was next up, insisted – ‘despite the remarks of the previous speaker’ – that even if the ICC judges did receive referrals from the UN Security Council, they always considered them on their legal merits. Of course, there is nevertheless something clearly wrong and unduly political about the Security Council having power to decide which atrocities are referred to the ICC and which are not.

But the question was whether it was an appropriate role for South Africa’s highest judge to roll up his sleeves and get into what was clearly a very political wrestling match in this way. Mogoeng, incidentally, also perplexed everyone in the audience, and apparently just about everyone in the legal community, when he added that it was necessary for him to be frank even though that was ‘dangerous.’ He explained that he knew about such danger because, as a result of his frankness, about a month ago, he had come across ‘very desperate attempts to frame me for criminal acts you can’t even begin to imagine.’ He added: ‘But that is the price to pay for pursuit of what is in the best interest of all the people; that is the price to pay for selflessness, so we dare not take cover when atrocities are committed not only in Africa but elsewhere in the world…’ By conflating America’s alleged abuse of the ICC for its own supposedly nefarious ‘regime-change’ ends with these mysterious attempts to frame him, was the Judge President suggesting the US was after him? Or was that just a coincidence? It was hard to say.

But it seemed his train of thought was not a million miles away from that of Maphatsoe. Peter Fabricius, Foreign Editor, Independent Newspapers, South Africa ISS AU defends immunity clause for sitting presidents By AGGREY MUTAMBO More by this Author The African Union (AU) has defended the decision by members to approve a clause in its protocol that would shield sitting heads of state from prosecution for war crimes. The Director for the African Union Legal Counsel, Vincent Nmehielle, on Monday evening told the Nation the clause in the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights “is not a departure” from known international legal systems and is only meant to ensure governments are not “interrupted.” “This immunity is not absolute. It is only extended during their term of office. It doesn’t mean that they can never be tried for war crimes or crimes against humanity or for genocide,” Prof Nmehielle told the Nation in Nairobi. “I have never seen that any leader can lead forever. There is a misconception that African leaders continue to be bad and that is not really a fair assessment.

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEMS “If they committed those crimes while in office, it means that the prosecution will wait until they leave the office, which appears to be in accord with a number of international legal systems where no criminal prosecutions against a sitting head of state are preferred.” The AU’s legal chief was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting that the AU has called in Nairobi to “brainstorm on a strategy to speed up ratification, accession and implementation of the OAU/AU treaties in Eastern Africa.” The two-day event that ends on Tuesday has drawn attendants from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania and other countries from the region. Participants will review a protocol adopted at an AU summit in June in Equatorial Guinea that would give more teeth to the African Court of Justice and Human Rights to try suspects for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. ATROCITIES But specific focus was drawn by civil society groups from 40 African countries earlier in the day, who demanded that the legal experts advise member states to drop article 46A, which provides that no sitting head of state should face crimes against humanity charges.

“The immunity provision is a regrettable departure from the AU’s Constitutive Act, which rejects impunity under article 4,” said Mr George Kegoro, the director of the Kenya chapter of the International Commission of Jurists. “Immunity takes away the prospect that victims can access justice at the African court when leaders commit atrocities. African states should take a clear stand opposing this immunity.” Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (right) delivers a speech at the 22nd African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa on January 31, 2014. PHOTO | AFP coastweek.com provisional results based on 32 per cent of the VALID VOTES counted SHOW deputy prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta, taking an early lead of 54.3 per cent, followed by 41.1 per cent scored by Prime Minister Raila Odinga . By Bedah Mengo NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya largely remains a "ghost nation" as citizens anxiously await final results of a hotly contested election.

Most businesses remain closed, public transport operators in various parts of the East African nation for the second day on Tuesday kept their vehicles off the road and people have chosen to stay indoors to monitor results on television. Most Kenyans have suspended all their normal activities until the final tally of the presidential results are announced. "I cannot open my shop until Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announces the winner. "There is anxiety all over. "All activities now depend on the outcome of the elections," shopkeeper Vincent Muasya, who runs a shop in Kayole on the east of the capital said Tuesday. The trader said he may open his kiosk on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning after results have been announced and assessed the way Kenyans have received them. Muasya recalled that a time like this five years ago, Kenyans had resumed their daily activities, but violence set in as soon as presidential elections results were results. "I remember that time I was running a shop on the other side of this estate. "As other traders, I voted and later opened my shop. "The following morning I once again opened my shop and all was well until the electoral commission announced the results.

"I lost some of my goods in the chaos that followed, which is why I moved to this side of the estate," he said. As many other businesspersons in the area and around the East African nation, Muasya cannot take chances this time. "I better stay in the house and monitor the results than open my shops. "I have surveyed around the estate and I can confirm that very few traders have dared open their shops. "People are in their houses monitoring the results," he said. Transport in various parts of the city is grounded as operators remain cautious. "We were reporting to work today. "I woke up early morning and went to the bus terminus but there were no vehicles. "I had to wait for over 30 minutes before a bus came. "We then paid 1.14 U.S. dollars to the city center, which is almost double the normal amount we pay," lamented Beatrice Atieno, who lives in Rongai on the outskirts of the capital. Fred Anyanga, who lives in Komarock, had a similar experience early today morning on his way to work. "Most public transport operators have kept their vehicles off the road. "Transport has been a problem this side since Sunday.

"There are very few vehicles on the road, which are charging high fares. "Normalcy will return only after presidential election results have been announced and people assess how Kenyans have received them," said Anyanga, a computer technician at a financial institution in the capital. In the city center, while there is semblance of normalcy returning, most businesses remain shut and the streets have few people. "I have seen some banks have opened, but there are few people in the banking halls. "But I think this is because most people who are not working have chosen to stay at home and business have not picked up," said Anyanga. While the government declared March 4, the day Kenyans voted a holiday, most employers in the East African nation have asked their workers to report on duty Wednesday and Thursday. Some employees are returning to work on March 11. "We are going back to work on Thursday. "Initially, we had been asked to report on Tuesday but this was cancelled and pushed to Thursday. "I am glad this happened because resuming work on Tuesday would have been hectic due to transport challenges. "Besides that, even if you report today, you will not concentrate because of elections," noted Eric Korir.

On Monday night, the East African country resembled a nation under curfew. In most suburbs in the capital, the streets were deserted and nocturnal businesses like nightspots and bars remained shut. Soon after voting ended, most Kenyans retreated in their houses to follow live transmission of poll results on television. Most polling stations across the East African nation closed by 6:00 p.m. local time, although the official time was 5:00 p.m. The exercise was extended to cater for delays during the voting process. Many Kenyans spent the night monitoring the outcome of the polls on television stations, which are airing them live. "I am not going to leave the TV until I know the outcome of the polls. "I have been watching the results since Monday evening at about 7:00 p.m. "I took a break at 2:00 a.m. but woke up at 6:30 a. m.and continued to monitor the results," said Martin Kinyua, who is off duty until next Monday. Kinyua, as many other Kenyans, have suspended their daily activities to follow the live transmission of results.

IEBC Chairman Isaack Hassan said the institution will announce the winner of the polls 48 hours after polling stations close. About 14 million voters took part in the polls. Kenyans are waiting anxiously for the moment so that they can go on with their daily activities. . Provisional results trickle in after Kenya vote NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenyans are patiently awaiting results of the historic general elections held on Monday as counting of votes cast is going on in most polling centers. The voting officially closed at 5:00 p.m. local time on Monday, although the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) extended it in areas where polling stations had opened late. The provisional results are being relayed live to various tallying centers with presidential candidate from Jubilee Alliance Uhuru Kenyatta, the deputy prime minister, taking an early lead of 54.3 per cent, followed by 41.1 per cent scored by Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The outcome was based on 32 per cent of the results counted.

Millions of enthusiastic Kenyan voters jammed polling centers Monday, when the general situation remained calm despite reports of separate attacks and a few hitches such as failure of the biometric voting machines. At least 14 people were reportedly killed in the vote-related violence, mostly in the East African countryï¿½s Indian Ocean port city Mombasa. The IEBC acknowledged it was facing challenges in many polling stations countrywide. Addressing a news conference on Monday night in Nairobi, IEBC Chairman Isaack Hassan said there was no further incidents of insecurity reported. "We are encouraged by the fact that despite the unfortunate incident in Mombasa and Kilifi where police officers were killed, voters defied the security threat and still turned out in large numbers to vote," Hassan told journalists. The IEBC placed voter turnout at more than 70 percent. The election was conducted for the first time under the new Constitution in 47 counties, 290 constituencies and 1,450 county assembly wards. There were six elective positions: president, governor, senator, county woman representative member of Parliament and county assembly ward representative.

The IEBC had to postpone elections for representatives in five county assembly wards to next Monday due to a mix-up of candidatesï¿½ details in the ballot papers. Hassan thanked Kenyans for exercising exemplary patience and urged them to remain calm as the results trickle in. "The Commission will announce confirmed results once the returning officers come with duly filled statutory forms," Hassan pledged. He also announced that IEBC technicians will provide a live feed for media houses to access provisional results at the same time they are received by the IEBC. According to Alojz Peterle of the EU observer mission, most of the polling stations opened on time and the huge voter turnout was a positive element that Kenyans understood the importance of elections. The former prime minister of Slovakia, who is heading the 65- member EU mission, said the calm and patience of Kenyans waiting to vote was an expression that they knew the importance of elections. "Though in some polling stations the biometric verification kit malfunctioned, there were no indications that it affected voting due to the alternative use of the register which proved effective. " The electoral body has embraced the use of mobile phones and BVR kits in this historic election to hasten transmission of results for final tallying in Nairobi.

This is a departure from the past where results were brought physically from polling centers across the country, some in remote locations. . Kenyan police appeal for calm amid anxiety over poll results NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan police on Tuesday appealed for calm across the East African nation, urging voters to calmly await results for the tense general elections and avoid unnecessary provocations. Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said Kenya needs to return to normalcy and focus on the economic development after the hotly contested historic elections that are closely watched by the international community. "We expect to have winners and losers in this competition where individuals are competing for their respective political positions. "We appeal to lowers who may be aggrieved and may want to petition to follow the due process of the law," Kimaiyo told a news conference in Nairobi. "Kenyans I believe have confidence in their judiciary than before. "The Chief Justice has committed to have cases of petitions expedited and concluded in the shortest time possible," he said.

The Mondayï¿½s elections were the first presidential polls since the December 2007 vote, which was followed by post-election violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed, 3,500 injured and up to 650,000 forcibly displaced. The polls, the tenth since the country attained independence in 1963, have generated unprecedented interest locally and abroad as the country transition to a new political order. The elections are to produce president, members of the newly created Senate, Parliament, governors for 47 county governments, members of the regional Parliaments and representatives of youth and women. "We are now on a very crucial leg of post election period. "This period demands that we all be patient as we wait for results to be tallied and announced. "We should avoid provocation or intimidation of any manner. "Avoid unnecessary gatherings, discussions and indulging into arguments on individual preferred candidates especially in social places," he said. The police chief said Kenyans should provide an enabling environment that shall allow both local and international investors to invest in the East African nation.

"We are a gateway for Eastern and central Africa and many of our neighboring countries rely on us for the safety and easy movement and trade locally and internationally," Kimaiyo said. "It is therefore the responsibility of all of us to ensure that our national re-achieve its glory as a center of peace and hub that many regional countries have relied upon," he added. The police chief thanked registered voters who came out in large numbers to exercise their democratic rights as provided by the constitution in order to elect leaders of their choice. "Some voters waited patiently as late as midnight to cast their votes after majority of polling stations were officially closed between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. "We did not experience ugly incidence or people fighting around polling stations after voting," Kimaiyo said. At least 16 people were killed on Sunday evening, a few hours to the voting day in separate incidents in Mombasa and northern Kenya. The killings were blamed on the secessionist group, the Mombasa Republic Council (MRC) but the police chief later airlifted some 400 more police officers to the coastal region to reinforce security in the region The group had earlier threatened to disrupt March 4 presidential election in coastal region.

Police officers in Mombasa said the groupï¿½s activities are meant to instill fear among voters not to participate in the general election to elect leaders to different political seats but tension remains high in the region with fears of possible revenge attack. The government has advised Kenyans to continue being vigilant as the forces of terror will seek to fight back, adding that citizens should work closely with security forces and administrators in flushing out all dangerous elements who threaten the countryï¿½s security. . Kenya to showcase tourism products, Ministry urges calm amid poll anxiety NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Tuesday appealed for calm during the countryï¿½s historic election process as the industry stakeholders plans to travel to Germany to showcase the countryï¿½s rich diversity of tourism products. The Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary Ruth S. Solitei said the East African nation will be among the 11,163 exhibitors from all over the world showcasing her tourism products at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin. "This is a timely opportunity for the country to assert itself as a safe tourist destination after the March 4 general elections.

"We look forward to sharing the good news of successful and peaceful elections when we address the press on March 8 in a pre - planned press opportunity where we shall address the international media," Solitei said in a statement issued in Nairobi. She said there will be 41 exhibitors from the travel and hotel industry players as well as related government agencies led by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) are expected to participate in ITB, the largest travel show in the world which is scheduled to take place from March 6-10. "As Kenyans, the world is looking up at us to uphold peace during and after the polls. Peaceful elections will be a manifestation of our strength in diversity and will re-affirm the confidence our tourists have on Kenya as a tourist destination," Solitei said. She said the tourism industry is very dynamic and international fairs such as elections provides the country with an opportunity to benchmark with the best practices, from the best travel and tourism companies in the world. "This is a key strategy that KTB continues to use in order to grow Kenyaï¿½s market share of tourists from all over the world," she said.

Tourism players had already rolled out plans to manage any crisis that could emerge during and after elections by placing some of their people on the ground in areas considered to be flash point areas to give updates in case of any changes to security situation so that tour operators can re-route visitors. As a result of the 2007/2008 post election violence, earnings for the industry dropped by over 50 percent in first quarter 2008 from 200 million U.S. dollars to 92 million dollars as foreign visitors were hesitant to tour the country as a result of insecurity. The tourism sectorï¿½s contribution to employment generation has grown by about 3 percent annually and earnings per employee have been growing by 18 percent over the last five years, according to statistics from the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA). Solitei said Germany remains among the top five tourist source markets for Kenya and has been resilient compared to other markets in Western European countries in terms of consistently sending tourists to the country.

She said the performance in the tourism industry in the past has been affected by challenges such as Euro zone crisis and isolated incidences of insecurity, but the win against the war on Al-Shabaab through the conquering of Kismayu reassured the world that Kenya is a safe destination. "Indeed, cruise tourism has improved in the last three months with three vessels docking in the Port of Mombasa and one anchoring in Lamu with tourists mainly from Europe," Solitei said. To build on these recent gains, Solitei said Kenya will this year host the renowned World Travel Awards, the Magical Kenya Travel Expo where KTB will take lead as well as the International Eco Tourism conference and the Africa Hotel Investment (AHIF) conferences slated for September. She said the four events will attract various tourism stakeholders and we expect that they will give Kenya a competitive edge to further market herself as a preferred tourism destination. "It is in this regard that we are calling upon all Kenyans to take personal responsibility in maintaining peace during the elections as peace is a key cornerstone of development," she said.

"Tourism is a key contributor to Kenyaï¿½s GDP and along with other sectors in the economy cannot afford to be interrupted by the possibility of any election related conflict," she added. Kenyaï¿½s tourism also suffered a decline in the number of tourists arriving since September 2011 when the Somali militant group, the Al-Shabaab, carried out the kidnappings of tourists in the Lamu archipelago and the kidnapping of the Spanish volunteers. The country has witnessed several hit-and-run grenade attacks in recent months in the capital, Nairobi, and in northern Kenya and Mombasa port city. The Kenyan authorities often blame such attacks on Al-Qaida- affiliated Al-Shabaab rebels from neighboring Somalia. . breathing space to enjoy retirement By Elias Shilangwa LUSAKA (Xinhua) -- Former Zambian president Rupiah Banda on Tuesday said he needed some breathing space so that he could enjoy his retirement instead of people demanding for the lifting of his immunity. But the government has charged that if the former president has nothing to hide, he should not start avoiding clearing his name through the due process of the law.

Reacting to calls that his immunity be lifted so that he could face alleged corrupt activities he committed during his reign, the former Zambian leader said he did not like the idea of lifting his immunity because it was detrimental to the development of the country. "I think itï¿½s not good for our country that each president that comes, an attempt to remove his immunity is made. In that case, then if there is no need for immunity, then remove it for all of us, so that whoever wants to investigate can investigate," Banda said in an interview broadcast on private radio station, Radio Phoenix, from Kenya where he is monitoring that countryï¿½s elections. Banda, who ruled Zambia from August 2008 to September 2011, said he did his best to ensure development for the country during his three year rule, adding that the achievements he scored where there for all Zambians to see. "So even if the few colleagues who think that this is a good strategy to attempt to remove my immunity, they will find out that one will turn against them.

"I think that I did my best and that I should be allowed to enjoy my retirement, like I am doing now, working for Africans and the world," he added. But chief government spokesperson Kennedy Sakeni said in a statement emailed to Xinhua that there will be no bad precedence set in removing the former presidentï¿½s immunity. The government is not acting outside the constitution by proposing to remove the immunity of former President Rupiah Banda, the spokesman said. It should be stressed that immunity is not a birthright. "It is a privilege which can be removed as, and when deemed necessary, in accordance with the law," he said. The government spokesperson said Bandaï¿½s former governing party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), already set a precedent when it lifted the immunity of late president Frederick Chiluba in 2002 when they were allegations of plunder of national resources against him and wondered what has now changed. "If Mr Rupiah Banda has nothing to hide, why should he avoid to clear his name through the due process of the law?" he wondered.

The government has announced that it intends to present a motion before Parliament to have Bandaï¿½s immunity lifted so that he could answer to charges of alleged corruption and activities during his reign, a move that received mixed reaction for a cross section of society. Recently, Banda refused to appear before a team of state agencies investigating alleged corruption in his administration, saying he still enjoys immunity. Already, some of his senior officials in his administration, including ministers, are appearing before court on various corruption allegations. One of his sons is also appearing in court while his other son is wanted by law enforcement agencies and is currently on the run. If the move succeeds, Banda will become the second Zambian leader to have his immunity lifted. In 2002, late president Levy Mwanawasa presented a motion in Parliament in which he accused his predecessor Chiluba of national plunder. Chilubaï¿½s immunity was lifted and he spent the next nine years appearing in court, though he was not locally convicted as he died. However a London High Court found him liable to defrauding the southern African nation millions of taxpayersï¿½ money though the judgment could not be enforced in Zambia as his lawyers contested its registration in the Zambian courts.

. Remember: you read it first at coastweek.com ! . . Copyright ï¿½ '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12. Coastweek Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Question: Which African country replaced most of its senior police officers after they were blamed for post-election violence?
Answer: Kenya