Tensions spike in Kenya as opposition claims election results manipulated in 'hacking attack'

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Tensions spike in Kenya as opposition claims election results manipulated in 'hacking attack'

A bitterly divisive presidential election in Kenya descended into chaos on Wednesday after the opposition leader claimed that a government-sanctioned hacking attack had subverted the results to rob him of victory. Police shot dead three protesters as violent clashes in the capital and elsewhere raised fears that the country could again be pitched into electoral violence after Raila Odinga accused Uhuru Kenyatta, the president, of resorting to “massive” fraud to secure re-election. Mr Kenyatta, seeking a second and final five-year term, was on course for a convincing victory. With nearly all the votes tallied, the president had secured 54.3 per cent of the vote against Mr Odinga’s 44.8, according to provisional results released by the electoral commission - a much wider margin of victory than opinion polls had suggested. Supporters of Kenyan Opposition leader Raila Odinga shout and gesture during a protest at Kondele on August 9, 2017 in Kisumu, Kenya Credit: AFP Although the election appeared to have been the best-run in decades, Mr Odinga was quick to reject the result, claiming there had been a reprise of the rigging that probably cost him victory ten years ago. “The electoral fraud and fabrication of results was massive,” he said. “It has always been common knowledge that Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime was a fraud. This takes Mr Kenyatta and [deputy president] William Ruto’s fraud … to another level.” As groups of Mr Odinga’s supporters gathered in the slums of the capital Nairobi and in his strongholds in western Kenya, some feared a return to the bloodshed that killed 1,300 people and forced 600,000 more following his defeat in 2007. Anti riot policemen deploy after protesters set tyres on fire in Mathare, Nairobi Credit: REUTERS Opposition supporters in Nairobi’s slums said they were awaiting an official declaration and further instructions from their candidate before taking action. Kalonzo Musyoka, Mr Odinga’s running mate, called on supporters to remain calm but he ominously hinted at the possibility of taking to the streets if the result was not overturned. “There may come a time we may have to call you to action,” he said. Fury over the result was palpable in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, one of Mr Odinga’s strongest bastions in the capital, where many said they were willing to face death if President Kenyatta’s victory was allowed to stand. “We are running out of patience,” said Jane Aoko, a teacher who had joined a growing gaggle of increasingly angry people gathered around a radio on one of the slum’s fetid alleys. “If you want peace you cannot keep making people angry. There can be no peace without justice.” Aftermath of protesters tear-gassed in Kenya 00:34 The tension in Kibera was mirrored in other city slums inhabited by tribes supporting Mr Odinga’s coalition, which largely represents ethnic groups that have never held power. Since independence from Britain in 1963, the presidency has always been held by either the Kikuyu or the Kalenjin, the two tribes that dominate Mr Kenyatta’s ruling party. Many in Kibera spoke of deep-held resentments caused by half a century of perceived disenfranchisement, with some saying that only an uprising would redress a system seen as designed to enrich two tribes at the expense of the other 40. Anti riot policemen deploy to disperse protesters in Mathare, in Nairobi Credit: REUTERS “We have been oppressed so much,” said Ayub Agutu, a Luo designer. “We are going to do a revolution once and for all to remove Uhuru Kenyatta.” But the president's fellow Kikuyus were angry that Mr Odinga, blamed by them for unleashing the bloodshed ten years ago, again appeared to be harnessing the street to challenge the outcome of the vote. "If he has a problem he should go to court," said Moses Mijere, a driver in Kibera, advocating a course Mr Odinga has said he would not pursue after his bid to overturn the last election in 2013 was rejected by judges.  Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga addresses a news conference Credit:  REUTERS Amid the rising passions, the electoral commission attempted to defuse tensions by delaying the announcement of a final result, promising to investigate Mr Odinga’s claims and inviting his agents to verify the results. According to the opposition, the electoral commission’s main database was hacked into and uploaded with an algorithm that added votes for Mr Kenyatta while taking them away from Mr Odinga. A Kenyan riot policeman fires a tear gas canister toward demonstrators supporting opposition leader Raila Odinga “[The Hackers] arrogantly walked into the database, took control of the entire electoral process, manipulated data and published a facade for a result,” Mr Odinga said. The opposition leader refused to divulge how he had been able to expose the alleged fraud, saying he had to “protect” his sources. 102-year-old woman votes in Kenya election 01:29 Mr Kenyatta has yet to comment on the allegations, although the secretary-general of his ruling Jubilee Party accused Mr Odinga of causing “unnecessary drama”. There is as yet no evidence to support Mr Odinga’s claims and foreign observers will not give their verdict until an official result is announced. The murder late last month of the electoral official in charge of the electronic transmission of results — the very element the opposition says was manipulated — will also raise suspicions. Mr Odinga alleged that the password of the dead man, Chris Msando, was used by the hackers to access the commission’s chief server.

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Chief suspect in 'kidnap' of model Chloe Ayling says he was not involved in any crime

The chief suspect in the alleged kidnap of a British model in Milan has said he did not knowingly take part in any crime. Lukasz Pawel Herba says his involvement stems from wanting to raise money to treat his leukaemia and that he was hired by a group of Romanians to rent properties around Europe to store garments they were selling, according to reports. He is also said to have told investigators he posed as a photographer and met Chloe Ayling. He said he was paid £500,000, found out the Romanians intended to kidnap her, and backed out of the plan. His side of the story has emerged as Ms Ayling's representatives dismissed doubts about the ordeal, saying it was real and terrifying. Lukasz Pawel Herba Credit: AP Italian police said she was snatched last month by a group calling itself Black Death. She is believed to have been drugged and transported in a bag to an isolated village near Turin, where she was held for six days as her captors tried to auction her online. As more details emerged about the episode, including that she went shopping for shoes and groceries with her captor, her lawyer and an agent have spoken out to defend her. Lawyer Francesco Pesce said it is "evil" to suggest she was involved while Phil Green, of Supermodel Agency, said what took place was "real and very frightening for all concerned". Ms Ayling left her house in Coulsdon, south London, on Tuesday morning wearing black leggings and a gold-coloured jacket. The photo studio, where according to investigators, Lukasz Pawel Herba kidnapped Chloe Ayling in Milan Credit: AP Pulling on a white helmet and black coat, she climbed on to the pillion seat of a motorbike before it set off in the direction of Purley. Speaking previously, Ms Ayling said she had feared for her life "second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour" during the incident and thanked the Italian and UK authorities "for all they have done to secure my safe release". A friend of Ms Ayling's said the young model said she was doing a Page Three photo shoot on Tuesday. Carla Bellucci, who runs a modelling agency, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "I wouldn't say she's the wisest of girls. "She can be a little bit naive, she's young. To us it's new but for her she's had a few weeks to get used to it." Ms Bellucci said the decision to pose so soon after the incident was "maybe... her way of dealing with what's happened to her, to get back out there". Ms Ayling was informed she was going to be sold to somebody in the Middle East for sex and complied with her captor during the alleged kidnap because she was told she would be killed if she tried to flee, Mr Pesce said. Francesco Pesce, lawyer of the British model Chloe Ayling Credit: AP He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "So she thought that the best idea was to go along with it and to be nice in a way to her captor because he told her that he wanted to release her somehow and sometime and she thought that the best thing to do was not to go in conflict with him. "So she abided to his request, 'let's go and buy groceries' and 'you need shoes, let's go buy shoes', and she didn't try to flee. "But I believe she was terrified at the moment and even if she could've asked for help she didn't because she was subjugated to this person, or people as she was given to understand." The Sun reported she told police she had developed a trusting relationship and even shared a bed with her kidnapper, who gave her chocolate and underwear, but she said he had not sexually assaulted her. Mr Green, of Supermodel Agency, said: "I can assure everybody that it was real and very frightening for all concerned." He also said, as reported by the Associated Press, that the person who made the booking for the photo shoot had "a website, previous pictures, details of his studio, details of what the shoot was going to be, times, locations, fee - everything". Chloe Ayling Credit: Instagram Mr Green said Ms Ayling was taken to the British Consulate in Milan after the alleged kidnap but was not allowed to return home for almost three weeks, arriving back in the UK on Sunday. A Polish man who lives in Britain was arrested on July 18 on suspicion of kidnap and extortion, Italian state police said. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) said it has been assisting with the investigation and that a house in the Oldbury area linked to Herba had been searched and computer equipment seized. It is alleged the men tried to sell Ms Ayling online for more than $300,000 (£230,000) and demanded Mr Green pay to secure her release. What is the dark web? 01:33 She was kept handcuffed to furniture in the village of Borgial but was freed after six days and taken to the British Consulate in Milan, despite the ransom not being paid, police said. It has been reported the captor demanded £50,000 on her release and threatened to kill her if she told police about the incident. Milan police spokesman Lorenzo Bucossi told reporters the group the suspect was allegedly working for offered "mercenary services" on the dark web.

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Tourists Who Stop At Crash Horrified To Find Mom Dragging Daughter's Body Into Woods: Cops

Motorists from New York stumbled upon the shocking sight Sunday, officials said.

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