So the election is over .... except ....

Its cynical to report that not many people were killed by the police/armed forces today, but I suppose it could have been far worse.     Four counties, Homa Bay, Migori,  Siaya and including the city of Kisumu constituencies, in the Luo dominated west of the country, had no voting for a variety of reasons .... ballot papers hadn't been delivered; officials had stayed away after threats on their lives; there were no ballot boxes, and several other reasons ... including the call by the NASA (opposition) leader, Raila Odinga, to boycott the re-run election because the Supreme Court had not yet delivered a final ruling on the August election.   It has been said that voting in these counties will now take place on Saturday.

Armed Police looking for protesters in the Kibera slum, Nairobi

Protests, riots and demonstrations took place in many areas of NASA support, including Kibera in Nairobi, Mombasa and all over Kisumu .... I heard later today that someone was shot in Mamboleo, where I have friends, and also in the Nyalenda slum, where I used to go on a Sunday evening to play the Dutch game shulbach, with Father Hans and African friends.  

So what are the implications of this election ?   Well, corruption and the 'big men' having Swiss bank accounts into which they pour ill-gotten fortunes, are just a way of life in most African countries, as is the grinding poverty of the majority.   But as Fergal Keane said in the report I posted yesterday, the implications don't only affect Kenya, they have serious implications for the fight against terrorism in Somalia and, potentially, for the aid operations in South Sudan.

What will happen after the extra voting (if it goes ahead) on Saturday ?   We wait with bated breath ....