NAIROBI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people have been killed in election-related incidences in Kenya on Wednesday as the country eagerly awaits presidential results.
Police killed four of the people in Mathare, on the east of Nairobi, as they tried to disperse Opposition protesters who were reacting to a statement from presidential candidate Raila Odinga who alleged that the election had been rigged.
Odinga alleged that the electoral system was hacked and data manipulated in favor of the incumbent, President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The declaration led to violent protests in his strongholds that include Mathare, Dagoretti, Kisumu and Homa Bay, with police battling protesters to quell skirmishes.
According to the police, those killed were engaging in crime that included robbing citizens in the name of protesting disputed results.
The youths had barricaded a section of the main road passing Mathare by burning tyres and placing rocks on the highway.
"We would not let anyone manipulate results," chanted the youths. "It is unfair and we are asking the electoral commission to announce correct results. We are even ready for repeat polls," one of them said.
Residents accused police of teargassing them and killing the protesters who were exercising their democratic rights.
Tension remained high in the area Wednesday evening as residents vowed to carry out more protests as long as Odinga disputes results.
Odinga, who vied on the National Super Alliance (NASA) ticket, on Wednesday disputed the results claiming they were computer generated.
He released results from the NASA tallying center which showed that he was leading with 8.1 million votes against President Kenyatta's 7.2 million votes.
Electoral commission results on the other hand showed Kenyatta leading with 8 million against Odinga's 6.6 million.
While together with his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka Odinga asked their supporters to maintain calm and continue with their businesses, he did not rule out countrywide mass protests.
"For now we tell our supporters to remain calm but when time comes, we would not hesitate to call them out," said Musyoka.
Human rights activists criticized the police for killing the protesters as protests are part of the human rights.
"Protests are allowed in law. The police do not have to kill people yet they are engaging in what is rightfully allowed by the law," said Maina Kiai, an activist.
Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi said police were ready to quell any protests and maintain peace and security to protect property and lives.
Matiangi further said stern action would be taken against social media users who were spreading allegations of violence and protests in different parts of the country.
In Hola, Tana River County, two people were killed at in Hola Secondary School in Galole Constituency Tallying Centre when five knife-wielding attackers stormed the station.
One of the people was killed by the attackers and the other by police as they fought off the attackers who were part of a group of five.
The incident disrupted the tallying process for a while as electoral officials and political party agents scampered for safety. Police later returned normalcy.
Away from the election skirmishes, a presiding officer of Kithimani Primary School polling station in Yatta Constituency died while returning ballots to the tallying center.
