
Kenya: Kenyatta, Odinga meet for first time since repeat poll
The two joined Anglican Christians in marking the first centenary celebrations of the church, in a ceremony attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Uhuru and Raila have barely been seen together in public since the September 1 nullification of the August 8 presidential poll by the country’s Supreme Court.
The court ruled that the election had been marred by malpractices in the tallying and transmission processes, and ordered a repeat vote within 60 days.
Odinga however boycotted the repeat election, saying he would not participate in an election overseen by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as was constituted. His NASA coalition had demanded reforms at the body, particularly the resignation of some officers it accused of engaging in electoral malpractices.
The ruling Jubilee Party however dismissed those claims, accusing Odinga’s coalition of trying to bully the IEBC.
Kenyatta subsequently won the repeat vote with more than 98 percent of the votes cast.
The run of to the Kenyan election was marred by mudslinging from politicians across the country, drawing fears from international observers that the country risked sliding into chaos.
Scenes of violence were witnessed, with tens of people killed in clashed between police and opposition protesters in major cities of the East African country.
If sworn in, Kenyatta will serve his second and last term as president.