Kenyans vote in referendum

2005-11-21 09:23

Nairobi - Kenyans began voting on Monday in a landmark constitutional referendum amid fears of violence after a contentious campaign for the first major change to the country's charter since independence.

Long lines were seen at polling stations as the up to 11.6m voters queued to cast ballots on the draft, which has split President Mwai Kibaki's government and sparked hot-tempered rhetoric across the east African nation.

A heavy police presence was reported for the country's first-ever plebiscite which is being monitored by some 150 observers, voting for which opened at 07:00 and was to close at 17:00.

At least eight people have been killed in campaign-related violence in recent weeks. In July, riots convulsed Nairobi after parliament decided to send the draft to a referendum, leaving one person dead.

Police pitched tents in the capital's Independence Square as thousands of voters waited to approve or reject the new constitution, the first overhaul to the charter since Kenya won independence from Britain in 1963.

"For me, this is very important," said Tom Ogembo, 32, as he cast a "no" ballot in the capital's massive Kibera slum.

Government plotting to rig regions

"I hope it is going to be free and fair," said voter Jack Omondi. "I am voting orange 'no' because the president said 'no' voters are fools."

Scores of people in Kibera wore orange, the color of the ballot symbol representing a "no" vote. A banana represents a "yes" vote.

"I have read the constitution and I have seen that democratic space has opened up," David Nderitu, a retired teacher, said at a polling station in central Kenya, where Kibaki was due to cast his ballot.

"There is a lot of change in the administration and the government will only improve with this constitution... there is light at the end of the tunnel," said Susan Nyambura, a farmer.

"The new constitution greatly improves the rights of women," added Lucy Theuri, a teacher in Nyeri, at the foot of Mount Kenya.

Opponents of the draft document, led by influential Roads Minister Raila Odinga, have accused the government of plotting to rig in regions where voters are likely to reject the draft law.

Odinga, alongside several legislators, argues that the proposed draft goes against the wishes of Kenyans to have a less powerful president and with executive powers devolved to a prime minister and parliament.

In a televised speech on Sunday, Kibaki appealed for calm and urged Kenya's 32m people to display maturity befitting the country, long seen as an island of relative political stability in a volatile region.

- AFP