Nairobi, Nov. 28 (IANS): Uhuru Kenyatta was on Tuesday sworn in for a second term as Kenya’s President at a ceremony here boycotted by the opposition.
Delighted supporters packed Nairobi’s Kasarani sports stadium but riot police drove back others as they tried to get in. Spectators inside the stadium were entertained by music and dance performances while the military paraded, the BBC reported.
In another part of the city, police clashed with opposition supporters trying to hold a rally. Angry protesters lit tyres, barricaded roads and threw stones at the police and some ruling party supporters in the suburb of Doonholm.
“We do not recognise Uhuru Kenyatta,” said one protester holding a sling loaded with a stone. Another said he was angry that the police had blocked access to the venue where the opposition had planned to hold a rally.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who boycotted an election re-run last month, mocked Tuesday’s “coronation”. Odinga claimed that Kenyatta was elected by just a small section of the country.
Kenyatta was officially re-elected as President with 98 per cent of the vote on October 26. He won the re-run with 7.48 million votes in 266 out of 291 constituencies.
The original election on August 8 was held over again after being annulled by the Supreme Court on grounds of irregularities.
There were scenes of chaos when people without seats tried to rush inside the stadium and were driven back by police with batons, with some officers on horseback.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Rwandan President Paul Kagame were among a number of African leaders who attended the ceremony.
