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Sunday 31 March 2013

Clashes kill 2 in western Kenyan after election verdict

Nairobi, Kenya -- Two people died in clashes in western Kenya after the top court in the nation upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in the presidential election.
The deaths occurred Saturday in Kisumu, the stronghold of his chief rival, Raila Odinga. At least 22 others were hospitalized, the Kenya Red Cross said.
Most of the casualties suffered gunshot wounds, said Abbas Gullet, chief of the local Red Cross
The rest of the country remained relatively calm after the ruling.
Protesters took to the streets in Kisumu after the Supreme Court ruling Saturday that dismissed Odinga's petition and retained Kenyatta's victory.
Read more after the cut...
They looted shops and lit bonfires on the road to block traffic, according to the Red Cross.
Kenyatta, 51, won the March 4 election with 50.07% of the vote.
Odinga, who got 43.31%, had challenged the outcome in court on the grounds that it was flawed and marred by technical problems.
After the court issued its ruling, he said he accepted its judgment and would abide by it.
"The court has now spoken," Odinga said, "I wish the president-elect and his team well."
Kenyatta will be sworn in April 9, making him the nation's fourth and youngest president.
Kenyatta and Odinga are the sons of the nation's first president and vice president, respectively, bringing back memories of a political dynasty that dates to the 1960s.
Their fathers started out as allies in the quest for Kenyan independence from Britain.
But the elder politicians' relationship ended in bad blood when founding President Jomo Kenyatta forced out his vice president, Jaramogi Odinga, following a series of disputes.
View source @ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/31/world/africa/kenya-election-clashes/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1

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