NAIROBI: Kenyans largely ignored an opposition call to go on strike on Monday, re-opening shops and returning to work as they shrugged off demands for demonstrations against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election and against the killing of protesters.
Cars, buses and motorcycles returned to the streets of the capital, Nairobi, and the western town of Kisumu after days of quiet due to fears of violence after last Tuesday’s vote. Kenyatta beat rival Raila Odinga by securing more than 54 per cent of the vote, official results show.
A Kenyan human rights group said on Saturday that 24 people had been shot dead by police since election day. The government put the number of dead at 10, and said they died “in the course of quelling riots and unlawful assembly”. All deaths would be investigated, it added.
Allegations by Odinga of widespread electoral fraud have raised tensions in the East African country, where some 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 displaced in widespread ethnic violence after he lost a deeply flawed 2007 election. Relief at the relatively muted protests this time, along with the re-election of a leader seen as pro-business and pro-growth, helped the stock market rise 2.5 per cent on Monday.
Shares have now climbed nearly 7 per cent since the eve of the August 8 election. — Reuters
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