August 09, 2017•Update: August 10, 2017
By Magdalene Mukami and Andrew Wasike
NAIROBI, Kenya
At least five people were killed in separate incidents on Wednesday during riots that followed the general elections in Kenya.
Protests began after a press conference by opposition leader Raila Odinga during which the presidential candidate rejected preliminary results released by the electoral commission saying they were rigged.
He alleged that the commission's servers were hacked and fake figures in favor of the ruling party had been released.
The first incident occurred when protesters at the Mathare slums in capital Nairobi blocked traffic by lighting bonfires on the streets.
A police officer at the scene, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions over speaking to the media, said two people were killed during the riots.
"A policeman shot at a person who was helping a protester who had been stabbed with a knife. Both of them died," he said.
In a separate incident in Galole constituency in Tana River County along the Kenyan coast, five knife-wielding men attacked an election tallying center killing one person.
At least two of attackers were killed by police, said Larry Kieng, regional police coordinator.
Kenyans went to the polls on Tuesday to vote in a new government.
As of 9.00 p.m. local time (1800GMT), incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta is leading with 8,003,673 votes compared to Odinga’s 6,604,273 votes.
