Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (R front) and Kenya African National Union (KANU) party Chairman Gideon Moi (L front) attend KANU delegates meeting at Safaricom Stadium in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, May 6, 2017. KANU party endorsed Uhuru Kenyatta's president's re-election bid on Saturday. (Xinhua/John Okoyo)
NAIROBI, July 28 (Xinhua) -- As Kenya's tightly contested elections draw closer on Aug. 8, citizens are taking all manners of precautions to protect themselves and their families for fear that there may be violence.
Some are taking their families to their ancestral homes while others are raising their fences to boost security of their homes.
On the other hand, some companies are asking their employees to update them on their contacts and place of residence while others have asked their workers, especially that non-core ones to take leave and return after elections.
Amid this, the workers are being asked to take further precautionary measures including buying more food stocks and more mobile phone airtime.
Similarly, foreign governments have issued travel advisories to their citizens both within Kenya and those wishing to visit, warning of political protests, rallies and demonstrations, which often turned violent.
It is evident that no one, both foreigners and Kenyans, wants to be caught unaware in case elections lead to a major dispute as it happened in 2007, leading to violence in which close to 1,000 people were reportedly killed.
The Aug. 8 polls mirror those of 2007, where Kenya was on the brink of civil war due to disputed presidential results, in many aspects.
First is that the incumbent, President Uhuru Kenyatta, is seeking re-election against a resurgent opposition led by Raila Odinga.
In 2007, then President Mwai Kibaki was seeking re-election against his main challenger, who interestingly was Odinga. Kibaki was declared the winner amid claims of massive rigging during the polls.
The Opposition, this time round coalescing under the National Super Alliance (Nasa), has similarly accused Kenyatta's Jubilee party of planning to rig the polls, including by using security forces.
There is also waning confidence in the electoral commission among all the political players, with Nasa claiming the agency is working with ruling Jubilee party to rig the polls.
These claims have stoked fears among the electorate, with many Kenyans now making plans to enable them stay safe and secure their properties.
Assurances from President Kenyatta and security agencies that over 150,000 police officers would be deployed to man the polls and guarantee peace have not yielded much, especially as instances of election violence continue to be witnessed in different parts of the country.
"I have already sent my children to my rural home in Busia where I believe they would be safe in case anything happens. My wife would follow two days before the polls. I cannot take chances again," said Emmanuel Otiato, an electrician in Nairobi.
Kenya's National Supper Alliance (NASA) principals Kalonzo Musyoka (1st L), Moses Wetangula (2nd L), Isaac Ruto (C),Raila Odinga (2nd R) and Musalia Mudavadi display their logo during the unveiling of the National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate, in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, April 27, 2017. Kenya's opposition coalition, NASA on Thursday picked former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as its presidential candidate. Raila Odinga, who has unsuccessfully contested for the presidency three times before, will now face incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta in the August general elections with former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka as his running mate. (Xinhua/Charles Onyango)
Otiato recounted that in 2007, his family suffered as there was no food in the house when violence erupted and people could not move freely.
Most residents of gated communities in Nairobi have come up with measures to boost security, including raising perimeter walls and increasing the number of security guards.
"We contributed 50 U.S. dollars recently which was used to buy spikes that we have erected on the security wall and the rest of the money would go to additional security personnel we would hire for three days during the polls," said Miriam Ngovio, who lives in Kitengela, a suburb on the outskirts of Nairobi.
More than 10 firms in Kenya have this month reportedly taken their employees through safety and emergency response drills ahead of elections.
Some companies have further gone ahead and mapped out various areas across the country where they have operations and come up with measures on how they can respond to a crisis in case anything happens after polls.
Others have done risk assessment of the polls on their operations and those of their staff before, during and after polls.
"On Tuesday, we received an email from the human resources department informing everyone to update their mobile contacts. Those who had not done so after three hours were reminded and informed of how the information was urgent," said Sylvia Muriuki, who works at a media company.
The police have identified parts of the Rift Valley, Coast, Nairobi, Kiambu and Kisumu as potential hotspots.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has, however, pledged to do everything in his powers to ensure there will be no repeat of the 2007 violence in this year's polls.
