Kenya sets date for fresh election

Kenya's presidential election will be re-run on October 17, the election commission confirmed on Monday.

The new date was set following the Supreme Court decision to nullify the result of the August 8 polls, citing irregularities that affected the integrity of the vote.

Just the two rivals

The commission said the only candidates on the ballot paper will be incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

"There shall be no fresh nominations," it said in a statement.

But immediately at least one of the six other minor candidates who participated last time threatened court action to ensure he is included on next month's ballot.

The August poll saw Kenyatta beat his opponent by 1.4 million votes, achieving 54 percent of the vote.

But the court ruled that the election commission had not followed proper procedures. Although judges are yet to release their full report, a new vote was ordered within 60 days.

The decision was greeted with surprise in Kenya because the judiciary has rarely shown such independence from the executive. International and domestic observers had said the first election was largely free and fair.

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Kenyatta however criticized the ruling, calling the judges "crooks," before vowing that he would win again in the second elections.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who launched the Supreme Court legal action, has called for the electoral commission to be disbanded and new officials to be appointed.

Electoral system under review

Although the Supreme Court didn't request any changes to personnel, the electoral commission said it was "revising the operational and procedural requirements for the conduct of the fresh election and will share details with stakeholders."

Odinga has lost three previous elections, including the one on August 8.

In 2007, he disputed the result of an election won by Mwai Kibaki. That vote led to an outbreak of violence that led to 1,200 people being killed. In 2013, Odinga took his complaint against Kenyatta's first election win to the Supreme Court and lost.

The latest fraud allegations unleashed a deadly wave of protests across the country last month, particularly in opposition strongholds in western Kenya.

The opposition says 100 people were killed, while police gave a death toll of 10 for Nairobi.

mm/bw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)