Millions of Kenyans stood in long lines March 4 to vote in the country’s first presidential election in six years with memories of the violence that followed the last vote.
Maasai people queue to vote in Ilngarooj, Kajiado County, Maasailand, on March 4, 2013 during the nationwide elections.
In 2007-8, more than 1,000 people died due to fighting between different ethnic groups and tribes after disputed presidential elections.
Since then, changes within Kenyan society have eased tensions to a certain extent. Kenya’s press, considered one of the more free in the region, made efforts to put each candidate’s profile and policy reputation on display. There also was a televised presidential debate in Kenya, the first of its kind.
Still, many Kenyans took precautions, emptying out food markets and staying out of ethnically mixed areas.
Uhuru Kenyatta leaves in company of supporters after he was cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to run for presidency in the March 4 presidential elections in January.
A race between two prominent sons
The two frontrunners for president are current Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta. The rivalry between the Odingas and Kenyattas goes back to the beginning of the republic in 1963 when Odinga’s father Jaramogi served briefly as vice president under Jomo Kenyatta before disagreeing with the government and resigning. Ethnic divisions typically have driven most decision making in Kenya’s political system. The Kenyan military is largely made up of Kenyatta's ethnic group, raising concerns that if Odinga wins, the military might prevent him from taking office.
