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Opposition Leader May Unseat Kenyan President

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By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, The Associated Press

Published: December 29, 2007

NAIROBI, Kenya - A millionaire opposition leader who cast himself as a champion of the poor appeared poised to unseat the incumbent Kenyan president, according to preliminary official results of the election and media tallies Friday.

The race pitted President Mwai Kibaki against his former ally, Raila Odinga, and marked the first time an incumbent had faced a credible challenge in Kenya's four decades of independence from Britain. The race focused largely on corruption, with both candidates vowing to end the graft and tribal favoritism that has tainted politics here for years.

A string of Kibaki's allies in parliament also were being unseated in the vote.

Kenyans clustered around radios and televisions as results trickled in. By Friday evening, though, the electoral commission had announced preliminary results in only 68 of Kenya's 210 constituencies. They showed Odinga with a slim lead of 1,665,714 to Kibaki's 1,169,631. Media tallies said to be based on actual results showed Odinga with a more commanding lead.

Still the slow pace of official returns raised fears of rigging.

Constance Newman, head of an American observer group, said the official process was cumbersome, likening it to "molasses in winter." The European Union observer team said there was no immediate evidence of rigging.

Kibaki, 76, has been credited with helping boost this East African nation's economy, with a growth rate that is among the highest in Africa and a booming tourism industry. His anti-graft campaign largely has been seen as a failure, however, and the country still struggles with tribalism and poverty.

Odinga, a flamboyant 62-year-old former political prisoner, promised change and help for the poor. His main constituency is Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums, a maze of potholed tracks and ramshackle dwellings that is home to at least 700,000 people.

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