Kenyans prepare to vote for a president after divisive race

Judy Woodruff:

Kenyans will go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president. In a nation with a history of contested and violent elections, this is the first time a member of the politically dominant Kikuyu tribe is not running. And many claim this is Kenya's first election in which class plays a greater role than ethnicity.

Correspondent Neha Wadekar and filmmaker Jack Hewson sent us this report.

Neha Wadekar:

Political hysteria is at an all-time high here in the heartland of Western Kenya's Luo tribe.

Never in Kenya's nearly 60-year Democratic history has a Luo taken power. Now the father of this tribe wants to become the father of the nation. Nicknamed Baba, or dad in Kiswahili, Raila Odinga has made four unsuccessful attempts at the presidency. His die-hard supporters say this is finally his time.

Clinton Murile Lumumba, Raila Odinga Supporter:

I just came to witness, to be part of history, because this is one of the last rallies that Mr. Raila Odinga is having here in Kisumu, his own backyard. So we are really excited as we wait for the elections on Tuesday.

Neha Wadekar:

The Luos of Western Kenya have long felt ignored by Nairobi's political class, in part because of a dynastic rivalry between Odinga and Kenya's sitting president, Uhuru Kenyatta, whose Kikuyu tribe has dominated Kenyan politics for decades.

But a few years ago, the men pulled a 180 and forged a surprising alliance, cooperating in government for the first time.

Raila Odinga, Kenyan Presidential Candidate:

Uhuru is the outgoing president of the Republic of Kenya. Leave him alone. Let him go and retire in peace.

Neha Wadekar:

This newfound friendship with the sitting president gave Odinga the power and backing of the state.

But after so much animosity, some say he's being groomed to take over and wonder if Odinga is now obligated to dance to Kenyatta's tune.

Raila Odinga:

It is not unusual that an outgoing president can campaign for somebody else, so what President Kenyatta is doing is not unique.

But I'm not President Kenyatta. Everybody knows that. And I cannot be somebody's project. Most Kenyans know that very well.

Neha Wadekar:

Some critics claim that you have been selected so that President Kenyatta and the Kenyatta family can protect their family wealth.

Many claim that this wealth has been acquired through corruption and/or abuse of power. So would you be willing, sir, to back any potential investigations into the Kenyatta family wealth if you get into office?

Raila Odinga:

We have said that we will deal with all the corruption cases, irrespective of how high it is.

And therefore, myself, actually, I'm not an exception. And nobody else is going to be an exception in this regard.

Neha Wadekar:

While Odinga's story is one rooted in dynastic succession and tribal politics, his opponent, deputy President William Ruto, brings a new dynamic to the race.

Ruto's populist message is that anyone can succeed, regardless of ethnicity or class. A one-time roadside vendor turned elite politician, he presents himself as hustler number one. He's running on a bottom-up economics platform that appeals to Kenyans hit hard by inflation.

Carolyne Wangari, William Ruto Supporter:

It is all about the bottom up. As you can see in his manifesto, he is talking about employment for the use youth, the bottom up, the hustlers fund that he's going to give to the hustlers, especially the small businesses.

He has spoken about lifting us, the cost of living, so we are expecting much from him.

Neha Wadekar:

Fearing defeat, both Raila and Ruto have tried to undermine Kenya's electoral commission. Ruto's claim is that President Kenyatta and the deep state are against him, and he's preparing his supporters to expect government interference.

William Ruto, Kenyan Presidential Candidate:

We want to give them a warning ahead of time. We will not allow you this time to pull the railway. We will not allow you this time to organize demonstrations.

We will not allow you this time to swear yourselves in. We are going to finish with you in the morning, and we will put you in a wheelbarrow express to Bondo.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Neha Wadekar:

Both candidates have already cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process, and it remains to be seen whether they will challenge the results of the vote in court or even in the streets.

With Ruto positioning himself as an outsider in an unfair election, there are worries about violence if he loses and refuses to concede.

For the people in the United States who might be expecting violence in this election, would you like to tell them what you are expecting and what you might tell your supporters if they decide to take to the streets, sir?

William Ruto:

Some of us cannot campaign in my competitor's backyard, because he is a violent man. I went there last year, and all my nine vehicles were destroyed.

That is where the violence will be if Raila Odinga loses. The only time Raila believes an election is free and fair is where he has won. And, unfortunately, he has won no election.

Neha Wadekar:

With each candidate pointing fingers at the other, many fear violence, as seen in 2017, when Odinga lost to Kenyatta.

During that election, Odinga supporters took to the streets, and dozens were killed and injured in clashes between protesters and security forces. The unrest was prompted by allegations of corruption and incompetence at the electoral commission, with Odinga rejecting the final results.

Now the commission is again facing similar allegations in this election.

Benna Buluma knows too well how dangerous this could be. After the 2017 election, her two sons, Bernard and Victor, were shot dead by police on their way home from work in one of Nairobi's poorest neighborhoods. A walk through the streets brought us close to the spot where they were killed.

Benna Buluma (Mother):

So, this place here, it's where one young man was being shot, this one, this one. Those are bullets.

Neha Wadekar:

And one of the men was killed right here?

Benna Buluma:

Yes, one of the man was killed here.

Neha Wadekar:

Right.

Benna Buluma:

Yes.

Neha Wadekar:

Five years on, the memory of finding her sons' bodies is still very raw.

Benna Buluma:

Sometimes, when I am lonely, I feel very, very bitter. Sometimes, when I see young men who are their friends, I feel bitter. Sometimes, their pictures come. But, sometimes I feel like they went abroad, and they will come one day one time.

Neha Wadekar:

Since her sons' deaths, Buluma has become a social justice activist. She has a message for the politicians vying on August 9.

Benna Buluma:

Let them calm down. Let them calm down. Let them just be peace, because these are their people whom they are going to rule. So when they kill people, what are they going to rule?

Neha Wadekar:

On the eve of the vote, the atmosphere is tense. And it's difficult to see how either candidate or their supporters will accept defeat.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Neha Wadekar in Nairobi, Kenya.