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ODM, PNU Claim Victory
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
NEWS
29 December 2007
Posted to the web 29 December 2007
By Abiya Ochola and Brian Adero
Nairobi
The outcome of the hotly contested polls appeared headed for a deadlock as the opposition leaders and government ministers both claimed victory.
The Orange Democratic Movement declared its Presidential candidate, Mr Raila Odinga, the winner, and asked President Kibaki to concede defeat and prepare to hand over power.
Kibaki's ministers and officials later called a press conference and announced The Party of National Unity candidate President Mwai Kibaki had won by over 300,000 votes.
The declaration came as violence erupted in Nairobi, Kisumu, Kitale, Busia, Mombasa and Kakamega amid fears that the Government had hatched a plot to rig Kibaki back to power.
Addressing a press conference at Norfork Hotel, ODM running mate, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, read mischief at the delay by ECK in releasing the final tally and warned the Government against exerting undue influence on ECK chairman, Mr Samuel Kivuitu.
"We are clear that ODM has won the election. The will of the people is now known. They have voted out Kibaki sending home at least 18 cabinet ministers including the vice president. They have elected over 91 ODM MPs. Raila Amolo Odinga is therefore the winner and the fourth President of the Republic of Kenya," he said.
According to the results released by the ODM National Voter Monitoring and Tallying System, Raila had won the election garnering 4,215,437 trouncing President Kibaki who came second with 3,748,261. ODM-Kenya's Kalonzo Musyoka came a distant third with 630,849.
The Party of Natinal Unity leaders said Kibaki garnered 4,533,181 votes against ODM candidate Mr Raila Odinga's 4,206,062 votes. Kangaroo results given by any Tom, Dick or Harry deserve every contempt," said the party spokesman.
Science and Technology minister, Dr Noah Wekesa, said the party will however wait for the official results from the Electoral Commission of Kenya. He said they were waiting for the results of three constituencies, Kajiando North and Matuga represented by minister George Saitoti and Chirau Ali Mwakwere respectively.s
Official results, however, showed Odinga heading for a win with 3.73 million votes or 49 percent from 159 of 210 constituencies. Kibaki had 45 percent.
Odinga had led early tallies, but as Kibaki began to narrow the gap overnight, the ODM leaders feared PNU was rigging the presidential vote.
In Kisumu and other pro-opposition western areas, looters targeted businesses owned by members of one community.
"We have just started. We will loot all shops and kill them on sight," Mr Richard Ondigi, 23, a driver, told Reuters.
In Nairobi, streets were deserted as businesses remained closed and public transport vehicles stayed away. Police patrolled the city and ECK center at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, remained a no-go zone.
ODM presidential running mate Musalia Mudavadi claimed the party had evidence that Kivuitu was under undue pressure to delay the results and cause disharmony.
"In view of the growing anxiety and restlessness in the country over the extended delay in releasing the presidential results by ECK, we call upon the President to acknowledge and respect the will of Kenyan people and concede defeat."
He further called on Kibaki to direct his officers to begin the process of a smooth handover.
He blamed the riots on "those withholding the results" and wondered why the ECK, despite its modern communication equipment could not complete the job on time.
Asked why the party had gone public to release the result and declare themselves winners, Mudavadi said ODM was sending a strong signal to its opponents not to doctor the results.
Mudavadi said the party was awaiting official ECK results before making another move.