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  • Kenya's Odinga urges voters to stay home for disputed poll

    Kenyan opposition chief Raila Odinga urged his supporters to stay at home on Thursday as the country forges ahead with a disputed presidential poll that could threaten the stability of the east African powerhouse.

    In a move likely to ease fears of election-day violence, Odinga on Wednesday called on followers to "hold vigils and prayers away from polling stations or just stay at home".

    The election is the chaotic climax of a two-months political drama that began when the Supreme Court overturned the victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta in the August 8 elections.

    It cited "irregularities" and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

    The repeat election is going ahead after clearing myriad legal and political hurdles, but anxiety remains high over the unpredictable consequences of a vote that will take place without Odinga.

    Opposition protests have resulted in at least 40 people being killed, mostly at the hands of police and in poor opposition strongholds, according to rights groups.

    Odinga said supporters should stay away for the "bloodthirsty regime is planning to use every excuse to massacre our people."

    In Odinga's western stronghold of Kisumu, one protester was shot in the hip on Wednesday, according to an AFP photographer, as demonstrators engaged in running battles with police.

    Protester Gordon Oyeke vowed to stay at home for the election.

    "We don't want elections, we will stay at home. Why fight for something we don't want and risk getting hit by bullets by the criminal police," he told AFP.

    Kenyatta called for peace on election day, and said this chance for a fresh election would help the country cement its democracy.

    "Tomorrow (Thursday) we have yet another opportunity to show the world that we are a free, modern state preoccupied by striving for unity, shared progress, peace and shared prosperity," he said in a televised address.

    - Final legal hurdle fails -

    Election chief Wafula Chebukati -- who said last week he could not guarantee a credible election -- appeared to soften his stance on Wednesday after "assurances" from security officials and authorities and "progress" within his divided commission.

    "The election as scheduled will go ahead tomorrow, the 26th of October," he said.

    The final legal hurdle came in the form of a last-minute Supreme Court petition to delay the election.

    But the hearing was unable to go ahead after only two of seven judges showed up in court. At least five judges are needed to form a quorum.

    Chief Justice David Maraga said one judge was ill and out of the country, one could not get a flight to Nairobi and two were "not able to come to court," he said.

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  • Kenya's disputed election still on after delay bid fails

    Kenya's repeat presidential election looked set to go ahead after a last-ditch bid to delay the highly contentious vote failed on Wednesday when the Supreme Court was unable to reach a quorum.

    The dramatic hearing on the eve of Thursday's poll had stoked opposition hopes of delaying the vote boycotted by their leader Raila Odinga.

    With political tensions soaring ahead of the vote, even the country's top election official has said he cannot guarantee a free, fair and credible election, prompting concerns at home and abroad about the risks of holding another flawed election.

    Chief Justice David Maraga, who overturned the August 8 victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta, was forced to ditch the planned hearing, as only two of seven judges were present in court.

    At least five judges are needed to form a quorum.

    "This matter cannot be heard this morning," Maraga said.

    Maraga said his deputy, Philomena Mwilu, could not attend after her bodyguard was shot on Tuesday evening.

    She was not in her car at the time but the incident fuelled anxiety in a country still reeling from the torture and murder of an IT official at the election commission before August's vote.

    Another judge was ill and out of the country, one could not get a flight to Nairobi and two were "not able to come to court," he said.

    The hearing was one of dozens of legal battles that have gripped the court system since Maraga's September 1 decision to cancel the result of the first election due to "irregularities" in the electronic transmission of results, and mismanagement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

    Also Wednesday, the High Court said the appointment of 290 constituency returning officers, who scrutinise the ballot, had not been done in accordance with the constitution.

    But the judge said quashing their appointment would create a "crisis of unimaginable magnitude", so the decision is unlikely to impact Thursday's election.

    It will, however, open the way for further legal battles over the outcome.

    - Odinga to announce next move -

    The election was meant to pit Odinga, 72, and Kenyatta, 56, against each other for the third time, in a dynastic political rivalry that began with their fathers following independence from Britain.

    But while Odinga secured a rare victory in having the August ballot overturned, he has refused to take part in the rerun.

    He accuses the IEBC of failing to make sufficient reforms to ensure it is free, fair and credible

    Although he initially called for mass protests on election day, on Tuesday in an interview with the BBC he denied doing that, urging supporters to "stay away".

    However on Twitter, his National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition insisted the protests were still on.

    Odinga has vowed to announce his final decision on the election at a rally in Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon, where several hundred supporters have already begun gathering.

    Nairobi city officials have already branded the gathering "illegal", saying the opposition had not followed proper procedures to hold the meeting at Uhuru Park.

    Meanwhile, in Odinga's western stronghold of Kisumu, hundreds of opposition supporters marched towards the IEBC's offices.

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  • Gambia orders govt appointees to fly economy class for cost saving

     

    As part of cost cutting in government expenditure, a category of Gambian civil servants have been instructed to fly economy class, the Information Minister Demba Ali Jawo has disclosed.

    According to him, the decision was part of the outcome of a cabinet meeting that was held on Monday. The affected appointees are Permanent Secretaries and persons holding the post of Director-General.

    The said meeting chaired by President Adama Barrow, also dealt with issues such as continental trade negotiations and the drive to resolve the country’s energy challenges by next year.

    He also gave updates of how the finance minister was working on a budgetary framework to deal with controls on governance expenditure. Whiles looking to cut cost, the cabinet he added was also looking to boost resource mobilization in the West African country.

    The country, known as the ‘Smiling Coast’ of Africa experienced a tense political climate late 2016 into early 2017 when long serving leader, Yahya Jammeh, attempted to overturn an election defeat. He was beaten by President Adama Barrow – then an opposition coalition candidate.

    The Adama Barrow government has severally accused Jammeh of looting state resources before leaving the country. Several probes are underway to recover monies and properties belonging to Jammeh who is currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

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  • DR Congo elected to U.N. rights council; Britain, U.S. unhappy

    Democratic Republic of Congo was among 15 countries elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term on Monday, a moved criticized by Britain, the United States and rights groups after the vote by the 193-member General Assembly.

    While Congo was elected uncontested to the 47-member Geneva-based council, it still needed majority support. The country – beset by renewed political and militia violence since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down in December – won 151 votes.

    “Political repression, civilian attacks, mass graves. What happened in DRC last year makes their election to the Human Rights council entirely disappointing,” British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft posted on Twitter.

    U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who has called for the Human Rights Council votes to be competitive, said Congo’s election harmed the credibility of the body.

    “Countries that aggressively violate human rights at home should not be in a position to guard the human rights of others,” Haley said in a statement.

    The United States is reviewing its membership in the council. It is in the first year of a second term, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has called for reforms to eliminate what it called its “chronic anti-Israel bias.”

    Angola, Senegal, Slovakia, Ukraine, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Australia and Spain were also elected to the body on Monday, while Nigeria and Qatar won second terms. Their terms start on Jan. 1, 2018.

    To ensure geographical representation, states are nominated in five regional categories. Four slates were uncontested, while there were five candidates for four Asia Pacific seats in which Malaysia lost.

    Council members cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. The council is able to rebuke governments it deems as violating human rights and to order investigations.

    Human Rights Watch called for elections to be competitive.

    “The Democratic Republic of Congo’s election to the Human Rights Council is a slap in the face to the many victims of the Congolese government’s grave abuses across the country,” said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch.

    The violence in eastern and central Congo has displaced over 1.5 million in the past year and revived fears of civil war in a country where conflicts from 1996-2003 resulted in millions of deaths and spawned dozens of armed groups that prey on local populations and exploit natural resources.

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  • Weah visits top Nigerian televangelist ahead of Liberia runoff

    Former world footballer of the year and Liberian presidential hopeful, George Weah, was in Nigeria over the weekend on a spiritual mission.

    Weah, 51, who faces a second round vote in his third straight bid to enter the presidency, met with popular Nigerian televangelist, TB Joshua at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos.

    Photos showed Weah in a handshake with the evangelist, he was accompanied by some top associates. TB Joshua’s official Twitter account also confirmed that Weah’s main contender, current vice-president, Joseph Boakai, had also contacted him.

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