Odinga says he will not recognize Kenyatta win

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Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said he would not recognize a win by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday's scheduled election rerun, as the political crisis gripping the East African country continues.

"As far as we are concerned, this is not an election," Odinga told the Nation newspaper on Sunday.

Kenya is holding the election rerun after the country's Supreme Court annulled the results of an August 8 poll where Kenyatta had been declared the winner. Odinga challenged the vote for its "irregularities" and "illegalities" in the electoral process and said he would not participate this time.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta attends the country's Mashujaa Day (Heroes' Day) celebrations in Nairobi, Kenya, October 20, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"Elections are meant to be about nation-building but this won't be. Unfortunately, the country will not move forward," John Githongo, the country's former anti-corruption chief said to Al Jazeera.

Kenyatta told a campaign rally in Kajiado county earlier that the country would not satisfy the "ego or dreams of one man (Odinga)."

Akombe, a former commissioner at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), said on Tuesday that the commission in its current state could surely not guarantee a credible election on October 26 2017. "I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity," he said.

Kenya celebrated Heroes Day, a public holiday that honors the country's freedom fighters on October 20, even though the occasion is being overshadowed by the political crisis. Kenyatta and Odinga made calls for election peace on Heroes Day.

Since the August 8 election, there have been massive protests and bouts of violence in several parts of the country. At least four people were killed during demonstrations on Friday, according to police.

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