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Kenyans began voting Thursday in a repeat election that has polarized the nation and is likely to be fiercely disputed in the absence of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is boycotting the vote.  In stark contrast to the first edition of the election, which was annulled last month by the Supreme Court, many polling stations in the capital and Odinga's strongholds saw only a trickle of voters.  "It is my duty to vote. Last time the queue was all around the block and I waited six hours to vote, this time the people are few," said taxi driver David Njeru, 26, as he waited to cast his ballot in Nairobi's Mathare slum.  After a night of driving rain, only 50 people stood on the boggy grass outside the Redeemed Gospel Church polling station, where more than 8,000 are registered to vote.  People queue to cast their votes at a polling station during a presidential election re-run in Gatundu, Kenya, October 26, 2017. /Reuters Photo Assured victory for Keny...

New York - The UN Security Council will vote on Friday on an African call for the International Criminal Court trial of Kenyan leaders to be suspended for a year, diplomats said. Rwanda's UN envoy Eugene Richard Gasana told reporters after Security Council talks that African states were pressing for a vote this week on their draft resolution. Rwandan deputy ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe later said there would be a vote on Friday on a resolution calling for crimes against humanity charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice-President William Ruto to be deferred for one year. European nations say they are confident however that the resolution does not have sufficient support on the 15-nation council to be passed. Kenyatta and Ruto are accused of masterminding political violence following a bitterly contested 2007 presidential election in which at least 1 100 people died. Both took office earlier this year. Some African leaders say Kenyatta and Ruto should be left to conc...

The man being investigated by Norwegian police over the attack on Kenya's Westgate shopping centre is Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, LaNUBlog Newsnight has learned. The 23-year-old Norwegian citizen of Somali origin is suspected of helping to plan and carry out the attack. LaNUBlog Newsnight has spoken to a relative of his in Norway who said he left the town of Larvik for Somalia in 2009. At least 67 people died in the attack in Nairobi, which the al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabab says it carried out. Last week Norway's intelligence agency, the PST, said it had sent officers to Kenya to verify reports that a Norwegian citizen had been involved in the assault on the shopping centre, which began on Saturday 21 September and lasted four days. It is unclear how many militants were involved. Police had initially estimated that there were 10-15 attackers inside the complex, but the CCTV footage which has so far been released by the Kenyan authorities shows just four men. Hassan Abdi Dhu...

Addis Ababa - The African Union's (AU) executive council condemned the International Criminal Court's (ICC) charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya as "totally unacceptable", Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday. Kenyatta faces crimes against humanity charges for Kenya's 2007-2008 postelection violence in which more than 1 000 people died. The AU council feels the Kenyatta's trial will hinder Kenya's fight against terrorism, said Dina Mufti. The AU's council proposed that Africans should deal with cases of genocide through an AU-backed court, and should not be forced to resort to the ICC in The Hague. These points will be presented to African heads of state attending a special summit on Saturday to discuss Africa's relationship with the ICC. Some African leaders have indicated their countries may sever ties with the ICC in solidarity with Kenya. Some African leaders accuse the ICC of disproportionately target...

The African Union summit in Ethiopia has demanded a deferral of The Hague trial of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, due to start in November. It also agreed a resolution stating no sitting African head of state should appear before an international court. With both Kenyan and Sudanese presidents facing ICC cases, African leaders have long complained that the court unfairly targets them. The AU had discussed withdrawing from the ICC, but failed to get support. Senior figures including Kofi Annan have criticised plans to quit the ICC.

The African Union summit in Ethiopia has demanded a deferral of The Hague trial of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, due to start in November. It also agreed a resolution stating no sitting African head of state should appear before an international court. With both Kenyan and Sudanese presidents facing ICC cases, African leaders have long complained that the court unfairly targets them. The AU had discussed withdrawing from the ICC, but failed to get support. Senior figures including Kofi Annan have criticised plans to quit the ICC.

Kenya is is a Country Situated on the equator on Africa's east coast, Kenya has been described as "the cradle of humanity". In the Great Rift Valley palaeontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man's ancestors. In the present day, Kenya's ethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture but is also a source of conflict. After independence from Britain in 1963, politics was dominated by the charismatic Jomo Kenyatta. He was succeeded in 1978 by Daniel arap Moi, who remained in power for 24 years. The ruling Kenya African National Union, Kanu, was the only legal political party for much of the 1980s. Kenya is ethnically and culturally diverse Violent unrest - and international pressure - led to the restoration of multi-party politics in the early 1990s. But it was to be another decade before opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki ended nearly 40 years of Kanu rule with his landslide victory in 2002's general election. At a glance, *. Politic...

Barcelona striker Neymar injured his hip while training with Brazil's national team and is listed as doubtful to play in Saturday's friendly against South Korea. Neymar fell to the ground after a challenge with Lazio midfielder Hernanes in Seoul on Thursday. He remained on the ground as doctors rushed to attend to him but walked off the field on his own, although visibly in pain as he was taken to the locker room. Brazil doctor Edilson Thiele told the Brazilian UOL website that it was too early to know the extent of the injury. Zenit forward Hulk replaced Neymar among the starters for the remainder of the training session. Brazil will also play Zambia in Beijing on Tuesday. >> To Barca Fans; Will Messi Play Alone? C'mon He needs Neymar. Or didn't He?

Kenyans are outraged that three men accused of gang-raping and dumping a girl in a pit latrine were ordered by police to cut grass as punishment. The 16-year old was attacked after returning from a grandfather's funeral in a village in western Kenya, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports. Her back was broken during the attacks and she now uses a wheelchair. Rights activists and MPs denounced the police for failing to investigate the girl's complaints. I want my attackers arrested and punished. My wish is to see justice done Survivor "Everyone is incensed, to say the least," Saida Ali, executive director of Kenya's Coalition on Violence against Women, told the BBC's Newsday programme. The police were investigating the conduct of officers who dealt with the girl's complaint, said Halima Mohamed, the police commander of Busia County where the attack took place, the Daily Nation reports. The BBC's David Okwembah in the capital, Nairobi, says...

Kenyans are demanding justice after three men accused of brutally gang raping a school girl and dumping her body in a pit latrine were ordered to cut grass as punishment. The ferocious attack and lack of action towards those who carried it out has sparked outrage and deep anger. The 16-year old girl was reportedly attacked, beaten and then raped by six men as she returned from her grandfather's funeral in western Kenya in June, before the gang dumped her, bleeding and unconscious, in a deep sewage ditch. The victim knew some of the attackers, and three of them were taken by villagers to the local police station, The Nation newspaper said. "The three...were only ordered to cut grass around the police camp and set free shortly after," the girl's mother told the paper. She is now wheelchair-bound with a broken back, caused either by the beating or by being hurled down into the pit. She has also suffered a fistula - a hole between her vagina and rectum - meaning she...

Nairobi - Activists viewed as supporting international crimes against humanity trials of Kenya's leaders are facing growing attacks, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, calling on the government to stem such intimidation. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity for their alleged roles in Kenya's 2007-2008 post-election violence. "During recent months, there have been growing reports of harassment, attacks, and threats toward human rights activists and people thought to be witnesses for the prosecution in the ICC cases," HRW said, calling the attacks "part of an overall climate of hostility in Kenya toward the ICC process". The trial of Ruto, along with radio boss Joshua Arap Sang, began in The Hague-based ICC on 10 September. Kenyatta's trial is set to start on 12 November. "The government should make clear that it won't tolerate intimidation...

Nairobi - Kenyan police said on Saturday that only between four and six armed men, not 10 to 15 as earlier thought, conducted the September attack on a Nairobi shopping mall that left 67 dead. "From what we have now that is coming out of the investigation, the number of attackers was between four to six," police chief David Kimaiyo told Kenyan television station KTN. "None of them managed to escape from the building after the attack," he said, implying that they were killed in the confrontation. During the 80-hour siege which began on 21 September, Kenyan officials said that between 10 and 15 gunmen were involved, and later claimed to have killed five of them. Witnesses in the mall described how the fighters stormed the complex midday on that Saturday when it was crowded with shoppers, firing from the hip and hurling grenades at shoppers and staff. CCTV camera footage from one part of the mall showed only four young men ambling around with AK-47 rifles in hand....

Four men believed to have been involved in the deadly shopping centre attack in Nairobi last month have been named. The Kenyan military said Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr - shown in new CCTV footage - were killed during the standoff. Kenya said previously 10-15 militants had been involved, but the police chief says the figure may now be four to six. The al-Shabab group said it carried out the attack on the Westgate mall on 21 September, leaving at least 67 dead. The al-Qaeda-linked group said the attack was in retaliation for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia. Analysis ByGabriel Gatehouse BBC News, Nairobi This is the most significant information to emerge from the investigation. Many Kenyans have been frustrated by what appears to be an opaque, drawn-out process. Two commissions of inquiry have been established, but neither has so far made public any details. The military has been heavily criticised in local media for its handling of th...

The Natal Sharks secured a home Currie Cup semi-final with a hard-fought 18-16 victory away to the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. Brendan Venter's men prevailed largely thanks to the place kicking of Fred Zeilinga and Butch James, despite having both Jacques Botes and Jean Deysel yellow carded for ill-discipline. Francois Venter scored the only try of the game for the hosts, alongside 11 points from the kicking tee from Handre Pollard, but this proved in vain for Pine Pienaar's squad. Cape Town-based Western Province also booked a home semi-final with a four-try bonus-point 36-23 victory over the Golden Lions. Tries from Damian de Allende, Deon Fourie, Gerhard van den Heever and Michael Rhodes saw Allister Coetzee's men now top the Currie Cup table following their deserved victory. Openside flanker Derick Minnie crossed for a brace of tries for the Golden Lions. Four tries from winger Raymond Rhule inspired the Free State Cheetahs to a convincing 52-21 rout over Griqu...

The Natal Sharks secured a home Currie Cup semi-final with a hard-fought 18-16 victory away to the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. Brendan Venter's men prevailed largely thanks to the place kicking of Fred Zeilinga and Butch James, despite having both Jacques Botes and Jean Deysel yellow carded for ill-discipline. Francois Venter scored the only try of the game for the hosts, alongside 11 points from the kicking tee from Handre Pollard, but this proved in vain for Pine Pienaar's squad. Cape Town-based Western Province also booked a home semi-final with a four-try bonus-point 36-23 victory over the Golden Lions. Tries from Damian de Allende, Deon Fourie, Gerhard van den Heever and Michael Rhodes saw Allister Coetzee's men now top the Currie Cup table following their deserved victory. Openside flanker Derick Minnie crossed for a brace of tries for the Golden Lions. Four tries from winger Raymond Rhule inspired the Free State Cheetahs to a convincing 52-21 rout over Griqu...

Four men believed to have been involved in the deadly shopping centre attack in Nairobi last month have been named. The Kenyan military said Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr - shown in new CCTV footage - were killed during the standoff. Kenya said previously 10-15 militants had been involved, but the police chief says the figure may now be four to six. The al-Shabab group said it carried out the attack on the Westgate mall on 21 September, leaving at least 67 dead. The al-Qaeda-linked group said the attack was in retaliation for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia. Too early? The naming of the men came as CCTV footage was aired showing four attackers calmly walking through a room in the mall holding machine guns. Kenya Defence Forces spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir told Reuters news agency: "I confirm these were the terrorists; they all died in the raid." Kenya: Major attacks *.1998:US embassy in Nairobi bombed, killing 224 people -...

A church has been set on fire in the Kenyan port of Mombasa as rioters protest against the killing of Muslim cleric Ibrahim "Rogo" Omar. "They have burnt the Salvation Army church and we are now trying to repulse them with tear gas," AFP quotes a senior police officer as saying. Mr Omar and three other people were shot dead in Mombasa as they drove home on Thursday night after preaching. It comes two weeks after the deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping centre. Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, said its militants stormed the Westgate mall in the capital in retaliation for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia. Mr Omar's killing is similar to that of Aboud Rogo Mohammed last year, which sparked days of rioting by Muslims in Mombasa. Mr Rogo was alleged to have links with al-Shabab and some Muslims accused the Kenyan security forces of killing him - an allegation they strongly denied. 'Died on the spot' Makaburi is on ...

A Muslim cleric has been shot dead in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, amid high tensions between the Muslim community and the security forces. Ibrahim "Rogo" Omar and three other people were shot as they drove home on Thursday night after preaching. The killing is similar to that of Aboud Rogo Mohammed last year, which sparked days of rioting by Muslims. It comes two weeks after the attack on a Kenyan shopping centre, which killed at least 67 people. Makaburi is on a UN Security Council list banning him from travel outside Kenya The police are killing people while saying it is a war against terrorism, this is a war against Islam Abubaker Shariff Ahmed, Cleric known as Makaburi How al-Shabab recruits Kenyans Will radicalism ruin Mombasa? Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, said its militants stormed the mall in Kenya's capital Nairobi in retaliation for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia. 'Died on the spot' Mr Rogo was alleg...

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for a Kenyan journalist suspected of offering bribes to prosecution witnesses in the trial of Deputy President William Ruto. There were reasonable grounds to believe that Walter Osapiri Barasa was "corruptly influencing" or trying to influence witnesses, a judge ruled. This is the first time the ICC has issued such an arrest warrant. Mr Barasa, 41, told the BBC he was ready to prove his innocence. He told the Reuters news agency that police had so far not tried to detain him. "I have not gotten in touch with any witnesses or anybody having any intention of asking them or bribing them to pull out of the case," he said, Reuters reports. Mr Barasa is a former employee of People newspaper in Eldoret, the home town of Mr Ruto in north-west Kenya. Kenya's violent elections Some 1,200 people were killed in violence after the 2007 elections *.Then-President Mwai Kibaki declared the winner of December...

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for a Kenyan journalist suspected of offering bribes to prosecution witnesses in the trial of Deputy President William Ruto. There were reasonable grounds to believe that Walter Osapiri Barasa was "corruptly influencing" or trying to influence witnesses, a judge ruled. This is the first time the ICC has issued such an arrest warrant. Mr Barasa, 41, told the BBC he was ready to prove his innocence. He told the Reuters news agency that police had so far not tried to detain him. "I have not gotten in touch with any witnesses or anybody having any intention of asking them or bribing them to pull out of the case," he said, Reuters reports. Mr Ruto is on trial for alleged crimes of humanity and his case resumed at The Hague on Wednesday morning. 'Sabotage' He denies the charges, which stem from allegations that he orchestrated violence after disputed elections in 2007. Kenya's violent elections Some...