NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Kenya braced for further protests Friday as the Supreme Court was expected to rule on the opposition’s challenge to last month’s presidential election, with police deployed to sensitive areas of the capital, Nairobi.
Opposition candidate Raila Odinga claims that the electronic voting results were hacked into and manipulated in favor of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who won a second term with 54 percent of the vote. Odinga also went to court to challenge Kenyatta’s previous election win in 2013 but failed.
Security was tight around the courthouse with armed police and barricaded streets. Another round of protests was expected if the court upholds Kenyatta’s victory. Human rights groups have said police killed at least 24 people in unrest that followed the Aug. 8 vote.
“This day is the D-day. We are going to know who is the president and we are very confident that the Supreme Court is going to give us our president,” said one Nairobi resident, Felix Achieng.
Local newspaper headlines declared Friday a “Date With Destiny.” Many shops in the capital remained closed.