- Title: Thousands leave Kenyan cities ahead of elections
- Date: 4th August 2017
- Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (AUGUST 3, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF MACHAKOS BUS TERMINUS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOADING CARGO ON THE BUS VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS BOARDING AND WAITING AT THE BUS TERMINUS FAMILY WAITING AT THE TERMINUS OLD LADY AT THE TERMINUS YOUNG MAN AT THE TERMINUS PEOPLE WAITING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAUL OUMA, BUS OPERATOR, SAYING: "Most of us we are going to vote, that's the main thing we have in this August holiday, we are going to vote because some of us have taken out from many, many places like Central Nyanza, Southern Nyanza, most of us have taken our votes at home." PRESS BRIEFING BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO ADDRESS ELECTION SECURITY JOURNALISTS FOLLOWING THE BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PERMANENT SECRETARY, INTERIOR MINISTRY, KARANAJA KIBICHO, SAYING: "We have also had a season where there is a lot of spread of fear by politicians especially, which is making some Kenyans choose to live where they stay to their villages where they perceive it's more peaceful. And I think from the government end the best we will do is to assure Kenyans that they need to stay calm they need to stay where they are registered as voters and they need to trust that we shall protect them to actually vote." VARIOUS OF CARGO ON BUS CARRIERS YOUNG MAN STRAPPING HIS DUFFEL BAG VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING BUS LEAVING THE TERMINUS
- Embargoed: 18th August 2017 11:57
- Keywords: Kenyan election Election Kenyatta Odinga Transport Transport companies in Kenya
- Location: NAIROBI, KENYA
- City: NAIROBI, KENYA
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016SQR0AV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Passengers jostled with ticket touts and hawkers at Kenya's main bus stations on Thursday (August 3) as thousands started leaving cities before next week's vote, some because they are registered in rural wards, others because they are scared of violence.
Jitters over the Aug. 8 polls, which come a decade since 1,200 people were killed in ethnic unrest after a disputed election, intensified this week with the torture and murder of a senior election commission official.
Voters in the East African nation of 49 million will pick a president, members of parliament and regional authorities.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is facing off against long-time rival Raila Odinga, was charged by the International Criminal Court with orchestrating the 2007 unrest, but the case against him and his current deputy, William Ruto, collapsed. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
