- Title: KENYA: OUTGOING PRESIDENT MOI VOTES IN LANDMARK ELECTIONS, LATEST.
- Date: 27th December 2002
- Summary: (U4) NAIROBI, KENYA (DECEMBER 27, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/MV: CROWD OF VOTERS; OPPOSITION CANDIDATE POSTERS; POLICE TRUCK WITH POLICE LOOKING ON; VOTERS WAVING TWO FINGER SALUTES AND CHANTING SLOGANS IN SUPPORT OF OPPOSITION (5 SHOTS) 0.28 (U4) SACHO, KENYA (DECEMBER 27, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3. VARIOUS: OUTGOING PRESIDENT DANIEL ARAP MOI INSIDE POLLING CENTRE; ALONGSIDE BALLOT BOOTH; PRESIDENT MOI POSTING HIS BALLOT IN BOX (VARIOUS) (6 SHOTS) 1.10 4. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) OUTGOING PRESIDENT DANIEL ARAP MOI, SAYING: "I have completed my time and therefore I want to wish the one to whom I am going to hand over well and I hope the people will respect the verdict and the voice of the people." 1.29 (U2) GATUNDU, KENYA (DECEMBER 27, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6. MV/ZOOM/CU: VARIOUS OF RULING PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE UHURU KENYATTTA VOTING 1.42 7. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) UHURU KENYATTA, RULING PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SAYING: "I have insisted that Kenya is a democracy and the peoples' choice will prevail and I think that we all need to accept that whatever the people of Kenya decide, that will be the decision of us all and we shall accept and abide by that." 1.55 (U4) OTHAYA, KENYA (DECEMBER 27, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8. GV/PAN/MCU: PAN ACROSS PEOPLE QUEUING OUTSIDE POLLING CENTRE IN OTHAYA (2 SHOTS) 2.09 9. GV/MV: INTERIOR OF POLLING CENTRE, VOTERS POSTING THEIR BALLOTS; VOTER PUTTING BALLOT IN BOX; ELDERLY WOMEN CASTING VOTES (4 SHOTS) 2.47 10. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(Kikuyu) UNIDENTIFIED ELDERLY WOMAN VOTER, SAYING: "I am very happy when I am voting for Kibaki, otherwise I would have stayed at home, and I am voting for him because he is a leader that can serve the country of Kenya." 2.54 11. GV/MVU: VEHICLE OF OPPOSITION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MWAI KIBAKI, DRIVING INTO POLLING CENTRE; CLOSE UP MWAI KIBAKI SEATED IN CAR, WEARING A NECK BRACE (2 SHOTS) 3.10 12. MCU/CU: MWAI KIBAKI CASTING HIS VOTE FROM HIS VEHICLE INTO DIFFERENT BALLOT BOXES FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY VOTES (3 SHOTS) 3.39 13. GV: WIDE VIEW CROWD AT POLLING CENTRE 3.43 (U4) KISAMIS, RIFT VALLEY PROVINCE, KENYA (DECEMBER 27, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 14. VARIOUS: VOTERS QUEUING OUTSIDE POLLING STATION; MASAI WOMAN PLACING BALLOT IN BOX; CLERK HANDING OUT BALLOT; WOMAN WITH BABY ON BACK CASTING VOTE; OLD MASAI MAN PUTTING BALLOT IN BOX; WOMAN BEING ASSISTED TO VOTE BY ELECTORAL OFFICIALS; PLACING BALLOT IN BOX (11 SHOTS) 4.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 11th January 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NAIROBI, SACHO, GATUNDU, OTHAYA, KISAMIS, KENYA
- Country: Kenya
- Reuters ID: LVA8GG8CS9FUW2F2GA2MPXN4IDCF
- Story Text: Kenyans have voted in landmark elections that mark the
end of almost a quarter century of rule by President Daniel
arap Moi, with many pundits predicting an unprecedented
opposition victory.
Voters streamed to polling stations across Kenya on
Friday (December 27), after election officials opened voting
at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Friday (December 27).
Kenyans hope the departure into retirement of Moi after
24 years in power will herald a new dawn after years of
economic stagnation and corruption.
The prospect of change has gripped the country in the
run-up to the vote, only the third multi-party elections since
independence from Britain in 1963.
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's presidential candidate from the
ruling party the Kenya African National Union, (KANU) voted in
his hometown of Gatundu.
Plucked from the political wilderness only last year,
Uhuru Kenyatta was transformed by Moi into a front-runner in
the succession race despite the fact that he has never held
elective office, and has almost no government experience other
than several months this year as Local Government Minister.
Many opposition supporters chanting pro-opposition
slogans and waving two-finger salute, feel that Kenya should
have a peaceful change of leadership.
Police said voting delays and mix-ups were straining
tempers around the country, with voters complaining at having
been left off electoral rolls and observers citing the loss of
ballot papers shortly after polling began.
Violence has been muted during campaigning compared with
previous multi-party polls, but thousands of observers will be
watching for signs of rigging or intimidation during the poll.
In Sacho, President Moi, who has led Kenyans since 1978
but is constitutionally bound to step down now, also cast his
vote.
Many feel change is afoot.
Fed up with the corruption and economic mismanagement associated with Moi's KANU party, millions of voters have pledged support to the opposition NARC coalition, which has consistently led in pre-election polls.
Speaking to Reuters, after he cast his vote, President Moi said he would respect the next leadership whatever the
outcome of the elections. "I have completed my time and
therefore I want to wish the one to whom I am going to hand
over well and I hope the people will respect the verdict and
the voice of the people," said Moi.
Moi will officially retire at the inauguration of his
successor, expected in the first few days of January.
Much of the opposition, hamstrung by ethnic splits at past polls,
has buried a decade of infighting to unite under
the National Rainbow Coalition, NARC.
To win the all-important presidential race, a candidate
must finish in first place nationally and obtain at least 25
percent of the votes cast in at least five of Kenya's eight
provinces.
In his hometown of Othaya, opposition presidential
candidate Mwai Kibaki was assisted to vote from his vehicle as
it pulled up at the polling station.
He was recently injured in a car accident which resulted in him not campaigning as vigorously as he would have liked.
Mwai Kibaki has been described as one of the most
experienced candidates in the race to succeed Moi.
Kibaki, 71, has lost two successive presidential elections in the 1990s, standing then for the Democratic Party he founded in 1991.
This is his third attempt.
In Kenya's Rift valley Province there was a big turnout
of colourfully-dressed Masai voters.
If Kibaki wins the election it would be the first
opposition victory since Kenya introduced multi-party polls a
decade ago and would represent the end of 39 years of KANU
dominance.
About 10.5 million people are registered to vote at over
18,000 polling stations.
Electoral officials expect turnout above the 67 percent seen in 1997.
It says it may announce final results by January 1 but has set no firm date.
Voting will end at 6 p.m. (1500GMT) but can be extended
in some areas if transport is badly hampered by bad weather --
a possibility after heavy rains battered central Kenya in
recent days.
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