Kenya’s Odinga Evokes Ghost of 2008 Chaos, Urges Fair Vote

  • Raila Odinga warns he won’t be able to rein in supporters
  • Opposition willing to accept vote delay to ensure credibility

Raila Odinga.

Photographer: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
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Kenya’s elections may prompt violence that evokes the unrest that killed at least 1,100 people following a disputed vote a decade ago if the electoral authorities fail to ensure this year’s process is credible, opposition leader Raila Odinga said.

Any outbreak of clashes would be difficult to control, even though Kenyans “don’t want to go back to 2008,” Odinga said in an interview Wednesday in the capital, Nairobi. The 72-year-old former prime minister is seeking to stop President Uhuru Kenyatta from securing a second term in the Aug. 8 election.