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One life has been claimed in Kenya as chaos erupted during the presidential election re-run which has since been boycotted by the country`s opposition leader, Raila Odinga.
Clashes between police and protesters began quickly after polls opened at 6am local time (3:00 GMT). More than 19 million voters are registered to cast their vote in the election, which is expected to close at 5pm (14:00 GMT)
Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi confirmed a man had been shot in Kisumu, the stronghold of opposition leader Raila Odinga, as police and protesters clashed. The victim was a 19-year-old male who had been shot in the thigh and bled profusely, Soi said.
Several others were injured, Soi said, confirming that police had fired tear gas.
The re-run comes after the Supreme Court nullified the August 8 presidential poll results because of “irregularities and illegalities” in the voting process.
At least 67 people were killed in the post-election violence following the August vote, according to Amnesty and Human Rights Watch.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, 55, is seeking a second and final five-year term in office. He won 54 percent of the votes in the nullified poll.
His main challenger, Odinga, who received almost 45 percent of the votes in August’s election, is boycotting Thursday’s vote.
Demonstrations in the opposition stronghold of Kibera in the capital also turned violent, with Odinga supporters burning tyres and barricading roads as police fired tear gas and live ammunition at protesters.
More to follow…
