an election that observers have described as the most important in the
country's history.
Officials and candidates have made impassioned appeals to avoid a
repeat of the tribal rampages that erupted following the disputed
result of the 2007 election.
More than 1,200 people were killed, shattering Kenya's reputation as
one of Africa's most stable democracies and bringing its economy to a
standstill.
Kenya adopted a new constitution in 2010 to allow for freer elections.
The authorities suspect at least one of today's attacks was carried
out by members of a coastal separatist group.
The group threatened to disrupt voting if their demand for secession
of the Indian Ocean coastal strip was not met.
Senior police officers said the death toll comprised nine security
officers, two civilians and six attackers.
As in 2007, the race has come down to a head-to-head between two
candidates, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister
Uhuru Kenyatta.
Both will depend heavily on votes from loyalists from their tribes.
Kenya's neighbours are watching nervously, after their economies felt
the shockwaves when violence five years ago shut down trade routes
running through east Africa's biggest economy.
Some landlocked states have stockpiled fuel and other materials.
The US and other nations are worried about the election in a country
seen as a vital ally in the regional battle against militant Islam.
Adding to election tensions, al Shabaab militants, battling Kenyan
peacekeeping troops in Somalia, issued veiled threats before the vote.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0304/371921-kenya-elections/
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