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                    Deadly Attacks Precede Tense Kenya Vote

   by VOA News

   Two attacks have left at least 12 people dead in Kenya, where voters
   are casting ballots in the country's first nationwide election since
   the violent aftermath that followed disputed results, five years ago.
   Authorities say the attacks against police happened in the port city of
   Mombasa and a nearby area, hours before voting began Monday.  They say
   a separatist group may be behind one of the attacks, which killed at
   least seven police officers.
   Outgoing Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and all of the candidates
   competing to succeed him have called for peaceful elections.  The two
   men who led in pre-election opinion polls - Prime Minister Raila Odinga
   and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta - have each promised to
   respect the result of the vote.
   [1]Related - Kenyans Vote Amid Threats of Violence
   Odinga lost to Kibaki in 2007 and disputed the results, while Mr.
   Kenyatta still faces charges at the International Criminal Court for
   orchestrating the resulting violence that left 1,100 people dead.
   Tensions remain generally high, and nearly 100,000 police officers have
   been deployed across the country.
   Preachers throughout Kenya Sunday called for peaceful elections.
   Francis Wambua, from the the Catholic Men's Association, said many
   parishioners visited churches and prayed for both peace and national
   unity ahead of the vote.
   "People are coming to pray, they are praying before the election, so
   that the election can be conducted peacefully in our country," said
   Wambua.
   Mombassa newspaper seller Morris Oduor says he is not worried about a
   repeat of the last election's violence.
   "The message of peace has prevailed more and more compared to the last
   time," he said. "The last time, the advert that we used to see what
   about hate speech and one group accusing the other group, but this time
   it is peace, and I think Kenya will impress."
   Some 14 million Kenyans are eligible to cast ballots Monday for the
   president, parliament, governors and other officials.
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/deadly-attacks-precede-tense-kenya-vo
   te/1614562.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kenyans-vote-amid-threats-of-violence/1614391.html
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/deadly-attacks-precede-tense-kenya-vote/1614562.html