Kenya says normalcy has resumed after post-poll riots

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-12 20:42:48|Editor: ying
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by Christine Lagat

NAIROBI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan officials said Saturday normalcy and calm has resumed in most parts of the country in the wake of sporadic demonstrations witnessed in opposition strongholds after announcement of presidential election results on Friday night.

The acting Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, said the security personnel have intensified surveillance across the country to prevent civil disturbances after conclusion of a hotly contested national poll.

"The state of public security in the country has improved and life is back to normal save for erratic incidents of lawlessness in Nairobi's Mathare and Kibera slums and some parts of Kisumu County," Matiang'i told reporters in Nairobi

Protests erupted in Nairobi's informal settlements and western Kenyan towns on Friday night after the Chairman of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of the presidential race.

Police engaged in running battles with rioting mobs in areas perceived to be opposition strongholds till the wee hours of Saturday.

Matiang'i said criminal elements in Nairobi slums took advantage of the volatile situation to engage in violent robbery and burglary targeting shops and homes.

He added that protesters who broke the law were in police custody awaiting prosecution in the courts.

"Our security officers managed to contain criminal gangs that were found looting shops during the demonstrations in Nairobi and Kisumu last night," said Matiang'i, adding that police patrols in volatile Nairobi shanty villages has intensified

He clarified that the standoff between Kenya's electoral body and opposition leaders over announcement of presidential results did not have a significant impact on the business climate.

Several people have died since Thursday in densely populated Nairobi slums during violent confrontation between police and opposition supporters dissatisfied with presidential election results.

Matiang'i assured the Kenyan public and foreign partners that the country was not facing a major security crisis in the aftermath of hotly contested elections.

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