At least three were killed as an aftermath of Kenya’s presidential election rerun which had been boycotted by the country’s opposition leader.
Violence commenced between the police and protestors quickly after the polls were opened at 6 a.m. local time. Voting was officially closed at 5 p.m. However, some areas had voters queuing and so were allowed to cast their votes. In some areas, voting has been reported to be postponed until Saturday.
An Al Jazeera correspondent, Catherine Soi, has confirmed that a man had been shot in Kisumu, where police and protesters fought against each other. The victim was a 19-year-old male who had been shot in the thigh, Soi said.
She has also reported that that another fatality had occurred in the mortuary by rescue workers. Her reports also included that a third person was confirmed dead, although the reason of death was still unknown.
Several others were injured, Soi said and confirmed the fact that police had fired tear gas. Police reported violence in five of Kenya’s 47 counties.
Protesters set fires and blocked roads in Kisumu, where 25 people were injured, said Aloyce Kidiwa, a medical officer. He also added that the injuries included several gunshot wounds.
The rerun comes after the Supreme Court annulled the August 8 presidential poll results because of “irregularities and illegalities” in the voting procedure. At least 67 people had been killed in the violence following the vote in August, according to Amnesty and Human Rights Watch.
