• Kenyan election results upheld by highest court, rival concedes

    Ben Curtis / AP

    A supporter of losing presidential candidate Raila Odinga gestures as he protests with others in the rain in front of riot police guarding the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 30, 2013.

    By Edmund Blair and Humphrey Malalo, Reuters

    Kenya's Supreme Court upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential election victory on Saturday and his defeated rival quickly accepted the ruling, dousing fears of a repeat of the tribal bloodletting that blighted the country's last vote.


    The decision cleared the way for Kenya's richest man to take the top job in east Africa's biggest economy, but left foreign powers with the headache of dealing with a leader charged with crimes against humanity at The Hague.

    After the judgment, police fired shots in the air and teargas at hundreds of stone-throwing youths in the western city of Kisumu, a stronghold of defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga, who had challenged Kenyatta's win. Protesters looted shops and burned tires in the street.

    But shortly after, Odinga made a nationally-televised statement, accepting the court's unanimous decision.

    "The court has now spoken," Odinga told a news conference. "I wish the president-elect, honorable Uhuru Kenyatta, and his team well."

    Kenya's outgoing president had called for calm ahead of the judgment which came five years after another ballot dispute triggered violence that left more than 1,200 dead.

    "It is the decision of the court that the third and fourth respondents were validly elected," Chief Justice Willy Mutunga said in court, referring to Kenyatta and his running mate for deputy president, William Ruto.

    He said the court had done its duty at a historic moment. "It is now for the Kenyan people, their leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media to discharge [their duty], to ensure that the unity, peace, sovereignty and prosperity of the nation is preserved," he added.

    After a week of hearings, the six judges of the court had unanimously decided the March 4 vote was conducted in a free, fair and credible manner in line with the constitution, he said.

    Peaceful voting in this year's vote, and the fact the dispute was played out by lawyers not machete-wielding gangs, has already helped repair Kenya's image as a safe haven for investors and tourists.

    Paramilitary police, some on horseback, formed a security cordon around the court before the ruling. Police chief David Kimaiyo has repeatedly said he would not allow public rallies.

    Kenyatta comfortably beat Odinga in votes won, but only narrowly avoided a run-off by edging above the 50 percent threshold.

    Western donors are watching the fate of a regional trade partner and a country they see as vital to stability in a volatile area. They had also said before the victory was confirmed that a Kenyatta win would complicate relations.

    He is facing charges at the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity, accused of helping incite the violence after the 2007 vote. Kenyatta denies the charges and has promised to cooperate with the court to clear his name.

    Western nations have a policy of having only "essential contacts" with indictees of the court. They say that will not affect dealings with the Kenyan government as a whole, but will worry the issue could drive a long-time ally of the West closer to emerging powers such as China.

    David Cameron, prime minister of former colonial power Britain, wrote to Kenyatta to congratulate him and encouraged Kenyans to accept the decision of the court.

    Neighboring African states have also been keeping a careful eye on proceedings after they were hit by the knock-on effects when vital trade routes through Kenya were shut down five years ago.

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    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • Kenya final vote tips presidency to Kenyatta, but challenge expected

    Simon Maina / AFP - Getty Images file

    Kenya's Deputy Prime Minister and presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta singing the national anthem during an electoral rally on March 2, 2013 in Nairobi on the last day of campaigning.

    By Jason Straziuso , The Associated Press

     

    NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's election commission has announced final vote tallies from the country's presidential vote, and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta appears to have won with 50.03 percent of the vote.

    Getting over the 50 percent mark was crucial to avoid a run-off with Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

    Odinga's camp has indicated legal challenges could be filed.

    The election commission planned a formal announcement of the winner at 11 a.m. Kenya time (3 a.m. ET) Saturday.

    A win by Kenyatta could greatly affect Kenya's relations with the West because the candidate faces charges at the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in directing some of Kenya's 2007 post-election violence.

  • Kenyans await outcome after tight presidential vote

    Steve Crisp / Reuters

    An official from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) inspects ballot boxes at Kasarani gymnasium in Kenya's capital Nairobi March 5, 2013.

    By George Obulutsa and James Macharia, Reuters

    Kenyan authorities hope to deliver the final outcome of a presidential vote on Wednesday, after partial results showed a lead for a politician wanted in the Hague over tribal violence at the last election five years ago.

    Counting since Monday's vote has been slow, and a new electronic voter system has been plagued by hitches, leading to complaints by political parties and anxiety among voters fearful that a flawed process could lead to another violent dispute.

    Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, 51, has kept an early lead since results started trickling in after polls closed on Monday, but some strongholds for his rival Prime Minister Raila Odinga, 68, have yet to declare their results.


    After problems with the electronic system, the electoral commission said it would rely instead on results being delivered manually to a national tallying center overnight. It said it hoped to declare the winner on Wednesday and urged Kenyans to remain calm.

    Results released on Tuesday with half of ballots counted showed Kenyatta, son of Kenya's independence leader and one of Africa's richest men, leading with 53 percent, against 42 percent for veteran politician Odinga.

    Kenyatta and his deputy presidential running mate are both wanted in the Hague on charges of unleashing death squads after the last vote in 2007, which both men deny.

    The last election saw some 1,200 people killed in ethnic violence after outgoing president Mwai Kibaki was declared the victor over Odinga. This time, Monday's vote saw at least 15 people killed in pockets of violence but no repeat so far of unrest on such a large scale.

    If neither major candidate wins 50 percent of the vote, Kenyatta and Odinga would have to face each other in a second round run-off, penciled in for next month if necessary.

    "We can confirm that our returning officers are expected to bring the physical results at anytime now, which will lead to the final results. What matters here is the final result and they are coming in," Ahmed Issack Hassan, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries commission, told a news conference on Tuesday evening.

    Hassan repeated that despite the hitches, he expected the vote to be fair and credible.

    Noor Khamis / Reuters

    An administration policeman gives directions to a party agent arriving with ballot boxes at Saint Teresa's Girls High School in Kenya's capital Nairobi March 5, 2013.

    "We therefore continue to appeal for patience from the public," he said earlier in the day. "Nobody should celebrate, nobody should complain."

    To try to prevent a repeat of the contested outcome that sparked the violence after the December 2007 vote, the new, broadly-respected election commission is using more technology to prevent fraud, speed up counting and increase transparency. But the new system has come up short of its expectations.

    Early lead
    Election officials had said turnout was more than 70 percent of the 14.3 million eligible voters.

    Kenyans, who waited patiently in long lines, hope the vote will restore the nation's image as one of Africa's more stable democracies, damaged by the tribal blood-letting in 2007.

    Kenya is East Africa's biggest economy and, although led by authoritarian and corrupt rulers for most of its half century of independence, has been spared the civil wars that devastated neighbors like Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda.

    More recently it has served as an ally of the West against Islamist militancy in the horn of Africa, sending troops to Somalia to fight al-Shabaab rebels. An explosion struck a predominantly Somali neighborhood in the capital Nairobi late on Tuesday, injuring one person, highlighting the threat from insurgents in the region.

    The United States and Western donors have watched the vote closely, concerned about the stability of their ally and fretting about what to do if Kenyatta wins and its new president is an indicted international crimes suspect.

    Real test
    The broadly peaceful voting on Monday and the big turnout are positive signs, but the real test will be whether the candidates and their backers accept the result.

    The shilling currency lost some of its earlier gains after the slow count cast doubt on whether a first-round victor would emerge. Analysts said an outright win would be preferred to a run-off, which would prolong uncertainty.

    As in past elections in Kenya, much of the voting has been on ethnic lines, with Kenyatta enjoying strong support among his Kikuyu tribe, Kenya's largest, and Odinga backed by the Luo, the tribe which includes the family of President Barack Obama.

    In a country with a handful of large tribes and dozens of smaller ones, both candidates lead broader coalitions and are also relying on support from the tribes of their running mates.

    William Ruto, Kenyatta's running mate who also faces charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC, said the process of tallying and relaying results had seen serious challenges.

    The electoral commission decided to count more than 330,000 ballots that had earlier been disallowed. Ruto suggested this could be a move to block a Kenyatta victory in the first round.

    "We want to believe that this is not an attempt to deny the Jubilee Coalition a first round victory as is clearly now on the wall," he told reporters, referring to a screen with the latest tally. "We urge every Kenyan to be calm and very patient and await the official release of these results by the commission."

    All the candidates have pledged to accept the outcome, and ordinary Kenyans speak passionately about their determination not to allow a repeat of the violence five years ago.

    Streets have been all but deserted with businesses closed, including supermarkets and security personnel were beefed up countrywide in readiness for possible demonstrators.

    Some residents in Odinga's western Kisumu heartland were still optimistic that the tide would change in his favor.

    "People should be patient; in 2007 Mr Odinga was leading against Mwai Kibaki in preliminary results. The following day when we woke up, things turned upside down and Kibaki won the elections. I believe the same thing could happen," said 31-year-old Christopher Otieno, a businessman.

    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • Machete-wielding gangs kill at least 15 as Kenyans vote

    Slideshow: Kenyans vote in crucial election

    Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

    Five years after more than 1,200 people were killed in election-related violence, Kenyans went to the polls in a nationwide election seen as the most important in the country's 50-year history since independence.

    Launch slideshow

    By Joseph Akwiri, Reuters

    NAIROBI, Kenya - At least 15 people were killed in attacks by machete-wielding gangs on Monday as Kenyans lined-up to vote in a presidential election they hope will rebuild the nation's image after a disputed 2007 poll unleashed weeks of tribal bloodshed.

    Just hours before the start of voting and with long queues across the east African country, at least nine security officers in Kenya's restive coastal region were hacked to death, and six attackers were also killed, regional police chief Aggrey Adoli said. The total toll had earlier been put at 17.


    There were two separate attacks which senior police officers blamed on a separatist movement - which, if confirmed, would suggest different motives to those that caused the post-2007 vote ethnic killings and could limit their impact.

    Officials and candidates have made impassioned appeals to avoid a repeat of the tribal rampages that erupted five years ago when disputes over the poll result fuelled clashes between tribal loyalists of rival candidates.

    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.

    As in 2007, the race has come down to a high-stakes duel between two candidates, this time between Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the loser in 2007 to outgoing President Mwai Kibaki. Both contenders will depend heavily on votes from tribal loyalists.

    The United States and Western donors are worried about the stability of a nation that is an ally in the fight against militant Islam in the region but are also fretting what to do if the victor is Kenyatta, who faces charges by the International Criminal Court of orchestrating violence five years ago.

    Provisional results could emerge hours after polls close at 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) although the election commission has seven days to announce the official outcome. Polls suggest the election could go to a run-off, provisionally set for April.

    Jan 28, 2008: Ethnic clashes have killed more than 800 people across Kenya, and post-election violence threatens to engulf a country that has long been a model of stability in Africa. NBC's Ned Colt reports.

    "If elected, we will be able to discharge our duties," said Kenyatta's running mate, William Ruto who also faces charges of crimes against humanity. "We shall cooperate with the court with a final intention of clearing our names."

    'We want our own country'
    One of the attacks on Monday took place outside Mombasa and another in Kilifi about 80 miles to the north. Senior police officers blamed them on a separatist movement, the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), which wanted the national vote scrapped and a referendum on secession instead.

    At the Kilifi site, Reuters footage showed a piece of paper on the ground with the words: "MRC. Coast is not Kenya. We don't want elections. We want our own country." But there was no formal claim and no independent confirmation of the assailants.

    Even before the violence, many Kenyans were wary, notably in flashpoints last time. Some shopkeepers ran down stocks and some people in mixed tribal areas returned to their homelands.

    Bernard Otundo, 36, queuing in Nairobi shortly before polls opened at 6 a.m. said he expected a peaceful vote.

    Jan. 2, 2008: More than 100,000 people across Kenya have left their homes after riots and violence erupted following a disputed presidential election. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports.

    "Some of us have been here as early as 2 a.m. this morning. I got here slightly after 3 a.m.," he said. "There have been a lot of awareness campaigns against violence and I don't think it will happen this time around, whatever the outcome."

    Kenya's neighbors 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.

    Adding to tension, the al Shabaab Islamist militant group battling Kenyan peacekeeping troops in Somalia, repeated calls on Nairobi to remove its forces, threatening retaliation. 

    Related:

    PhotoBlog: Kenya braces for elections

     

     

    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • Kenya braces for elections, Odinga supporters rally

    Will Boase / AFP - Getty Images

    Supporters of Raila Odinga are pictured here traveling home after a major rally in Kisumu town on March 1, 2013. Kisumu town is the home of Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and a hotbed of support for ODM and CORD. Kenya is to hold general elections on March 4.

    Will Boase / AFP - Getty Images

    Supporters of Raila Odinga celebrate as Raila takes the stage during a major rally in Kisumu town on March 1, 2013.

    Will Boase / AFP - Getty Images

    Supporters of Raila Odinga are pictured during a major rally in Kisumu town on March 1, 2013.

    By Edmund Blair, Reuters

    Kenyans choose a new president on Monday in a closely fought election that has divided the east African nation and raised fears of a repeat of the bloodshed that followed the tightly contested race five years ago.

    Rival tribe members wielding machetes, knives, and bows and arrows butchered more than 1,200 people after the disputed 2007 vote, shattering Kenya's reputation as one of the continent's most stable democracies and dealing a heavy blow to east Africa's biggest economy from which it is only now recovering.

    The government has spent five years trying to rebuild confidence with a reformed judiciary and newly appointed police commanders. Church preachers and civil society groups have brought politicians and rival voters together in rallies in Nairobi's central park to appeal for a peaceful vote.

    Yet, this year's race is haunted by the past. One of the top two candidates, Uhuru Kenyatta, 51, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for instigating the violence after the 2007 race. And tribal loyalties will again largely determine who backs Kenyatta or his main rival Raila Odinga, 68.

    Continue reading.

     

  • Orphaned elephants find sanctuary in Kenya amid rampant poaching

    Workers at a Kenyan sanctuary for elephants who have lost their mothers, many through rampant poaching, talk about how they care for one of Africa's most endangered species. By NBC's William Angelucci.

    By Ron Allen, Correspondent, NBC News

    Kenyan police announced on Jan. 15 they had seized the biggest haul ever of smuggled elephant ivory. Two tons of ivory valued at around $1.5 million was stuffed in a container at the port of Mombasa.

    "This is a big catch, the biggest ever single seizure of ivory at the port of Mombasa," Kiberenge Seroney, the port's police officer in charge of criminal investigations, told Reuters.

    "We fail to understand where one gathers the courage to park such enormous quantities of ivory, hoping that they can slip through our security systems."

    Earlier in the month, poachers killed a family of 11 elephants in the single biggest slaughter of the animals on record in the east African country.


    The harrowing news prompted NBC News cameraman William Angelucci to pull out a video he had filmed at a unique elephant orphanage in the country.

    The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has been trying to save African elephants since the 1970s. It takes in young elephants that have been orphaned by the slaughter of their mothers and fathers for their tusks. The staff essentially become surrogate parents, feeding the youngsters by hand. As they grow older, for some elephants, humans are the only "parents" they've known.

    So far, more than 80 elephants have been reintroduced to the wild after reaching an age between eight to 10 years old. That, however, doesn't end the relationship. The trust’s handlers say many of the animals "keep in touch," and even have brought their own young to visit their human families.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    Related content:

    'A big catch': Record two tons of ivory seized in Kenya

    Elephants slaughtered, orphan found in latest Africa poaching

  • 'A big catch': Record two tons of ivory seized in Kenya

    Police in Kenya have seized more than two tons of ivory worth $1.15 million. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

    By James Macharia, Reuters
    MOMBASA, Kenya — Police in Kenya have seized more than two tons of ivory worth 100 million shillings ($1.15 million), the biggest haul on record in the east African country, officials said on Tuesday.

    "This is a big catch, the biggest ever single seizure of ivory at the port of Mombasa," said Kiberenge Seroney, the port's police officer in charge of criminal investigations. "We fail to understand where one gathers the courage to park such enormous quantities of ivory, hoping that they can slip through our security systems."

    Poaching is a growing problem for sub-Saharan African countries reliant on rich wildlife in their game reserves to draw foreign tourists.

    Heavily-armed criminals kill elephants and rhinos for their tusks, which are used for ornaments and in some folk medicines. Most of the elephant tusks smuggled from Africa ends up in Asian countries, according to police.

    On Jan. 5, poachers killed a family of 11 elephants in the biggest single mass shooting of the animals on record in Kenya, wildlife officials said.

    Gitau Gitau, an assistant commissioner with the Kenya Revenue Authority, said paperwork accompanying a container at the port of Mombasa declared it contained decorative stones.

    The carcasses of a family of elephants have been found in a wildlife reserve in Kenya - the victims of the worst massacre on record by ivory poachers there. NBC News' Rohit Kachroo reports.

    "But when we opened it we found elephant tusks," said Gitau as he displayed the ivory. "The ivory was originating from Rwanda and Tanzania and was to be exported to Indonesia."

    Related stories:

    Family of 12 elephants slain by poachers in Kenya

    Indian park battles poachers targeting rhino horn

    Rhino slaughter in South Africa sets savage pace

    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • Family of 12 elephants slain by poachers in Kenya

    The carcasses of a family of elephants have been found in a wildlife reserve in Kenya - the victims of the worst massacre on record by ivory poachers there. NBC News' Rohit Kachroo reports.

    By Rohit Kachroo, Correspondent, NBC News

    TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK, Kenya -- The bodies of five elephants lie under the shade of the trees – their giant ears flapping in the wind, but their majestic bodies totally still.

    It is a gruesome sight in this, one of Kenya’s oldest, largest and most stunningly beautiful national parks.

    As our helicopter circles the scene, we glimpse two other elephants nearby: A mother lying dead next to a baby calf - her daughter. The bodies of another three siblings sit in the baking heat. Other corpses are slumped across several acres of parkland.

    In total, there are 12 slain elephants – a family, murdered on Saturday in Kenya’s bloodiest attack by poachers on record.

    The spot is so remote – inaccessible by road vehicles – that it was only possible for us to reach them by the air. And yet, the poachers are thought to have trekked for days – maybe weeks – through the dense bushes with the intention of killing the family for their horns. It is, perhaps, an indication of the poachers’ determination, and the sophistication of their planning.

    Armed with guns and axes, the 15-strong gang struck during the day. They shot the animals one by one before sawing off their tusks. Park rangers chased their footprints for 10 miles into the bush, but the trail vanished. Investigators believe that they may have dumped the tusks in the park to collect later, before splitting up and disappearing into the woods.

    Wilson Korir, who leads the military-style defense force tasked with protecting the park from poachers, said: “These guys [the gang of poachers] are now looking for some crude transport like the use of a donkey to be able to transfer the tusks to the nearest center where they can ferry it using a vehicle.”

     “We have a lot of covert operations going on outside. We have positioned a platoon of rangers outside there just to wait and see. If they appear they will pounce and arrest.”

    Accompanied by rangers, we leave our helicopter and walk towards the spot where some of the bodies lie. We are all struck by the stench of the corpses, as flies swarm and maggots eat away at them. The face of each of the animals is badly severed – it is clear where the poachers’ axes have struck.

    From the position of the elephants, investigators suspect that there was a stampede as the animals tried -- and failed -- to race away.

    It is grim evidence of a growing problem for Kenya. According to the country’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga, 360 elephants were killed in Kenya last year – almost one a day – up from 289 in 2011.

    Demand comes from the growing middle class in China, where ground tusk is said to have medicinal value, and ivory is still desirable in jewelry and home decorations. A pound of illegal ivory can fetch around $1,000.

    “The dynamics of poaching are taking a different angle altogether because there is a lot of demand for ivory from outside,” Korir said.

    “But in the history of Tsavo National Park this is the worst.”

    He welcomes promises of greater investment in wildlife security, and calls by world leaders for a global campaign against trafficking. But his priority now is to find the poachers behind Saturday’s attack. 

    “The message is clear. They come (back) into the national park at their own peril. The rangers are there and waiting for them. They come and they will be eliminated.

    “These are dangerous gangs. They carry firearms. There are no two ways about it – fire for fire. So let them come. We are equally prepared. We are waiting.”

    Wildlife activists are calling for Interpol and the World Customs Association to work together to crackdown on the trade in ivory, issuing heavier penalties for those caught illegally dealing. Poaching has increased recently, fueled by a demand in Asia for jewelry and ornaments. ITV's Paul Davies reports.

    Related stories:

    Cursed creature: India battles rhino poachers

    Rhino slaughter in South Africa sets savage pace

    Hunted for horns worth more than gold, S. Africa's rhinos face worst year on record

    Kenya Wildlife Services step up collaring efforts in wake of increased poaching


     

  • Police: 28 killed as farmers, nomads clash in Kenya

    By Reuters

    MOMBASA, Kenya — Raiders killed villagers and burnt homes in an early morning attack in Kenya's volatile coastal Tana Delta region that left 28 people dead, police said Friday.

    They said the raid appeared to have been a revenge attack following clashes between farmers from the Pokomo tribe and semi-nomadic Orma tribesmen.

    They have fought for years over access to grazing, farmland and water in the coastal region.

    Masked 'goons' kill at least 17 in attacks on churches in Kenya

    More than 100 people died in a series of attacks in the area earlier this year.

    Robert Kitur, Coast Region deputy police chief, told reporters that the villagers seemed to have been ready for the attack.

    "About 150 Pokomo raiders attacked Kipao village, which is inhabited by the Ormas early Friday, but the Ormas appeared to have been aware and were prepared,” he said.

    "A confrontation ensued and as result 19 Ormas and 9 Pokomos were killed," he added.

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    Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

  • Rioters attack ethnic Somalis after bombing in Kenyan capital

    Carl De Souza / AFP - Getty Images

    Kenyan police officers detain a man in the Somali district of Eastleigh in Nairobi on Monday.

    GRAPHIC WARNING: Contains images which some viewers may find disturbing. 

    Updated at 12:45 pm ET

    Tony Karumba / AFP - Getty Images

    A youth of non-Somali ethinicity is armed with stones on Monday during inter-ethnic clashes in Nairobi's Eastleigh suburb.

    Reuters reports — Kenyan police fired tear gas to disperse rioters who attacked ethnic Somalis in the Nairobi district known as "Little Mogadishu" on Monday, hurling rocks and smashing windows after a weekend bomb attack there killed nine people.

    The violence coincided with the start of voter registration for a general election in March, adding to security concerns ahead of the first national polls since 2007 when a dispute over the results fuelled ethnic slaughter that killed more than 1,200 people and forced some 300,000 from their homes.

    Angry mobs broke into Somali homes and shops in anger at Sunday's attack on a minibus which killed at least nine people in Nairobi's Eastleigh district which is dominated by Somali Kenyans and their ethnic kin who have fled fighting in Somalia.

    Read the full story.

    Daniel Irungu / EPA

    Angry ethnic Somali youths shout slogans as they face off Kenyan youths during a riot in the predominantly Somali neighborhood of Eastleigh in Nairobi on Monday.

    Carl De Souza / AFP - Getty Images

    A Kenyan Police officer with a guard dog tries to control a crowd in the Somali district of Eastleigh in Nairobi on Monday. Kenyan residents in Eastleigh turned on Somalis and attacked their shops and stalls, accusing them of being responsible for a bomb on Sunday.

    Carl De Souza / AFP - Getty Images

    A suspected looter is restrained by a policeman with a dog in the Somali district of Eastleigh in Nairobi on Monday.

    Tony Karumba / AFP - Getty Images

    A man bleeds after he was attacked with machetes by people of Somali ethnicity on Monday during inter-ethnic clashes in Nairobi's Eastleigh suburb.

    Noor Khamis / Reuters

    Mathare slum residents escape from a cloud of tear gas thrown by the police during the second day of skirmishes in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Kenya's capital Nairobi on November 19, 2012.

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  • From Obama's old school to his ancestral village, world reacts to US presidential election

    Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

    Relatives of U.S. President Barack Obama sing and dance as they run along a dirt road during celebrations for his re-election at his ancestral home village of Nyangoma Kogelo, 367 miles west of Kenya's capital Nairobi, on November 7, 2012.

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    Villagers in western Kenya danced, cheered and waved branches in the air to celebrate Barack Obama's re-election Wednesday as news of his victory resonated far beyond American shores.

    A crowd had gathered to watch television coverage in Kogelo, where Obama's late father was raised, and the president's step-grandmother wore a delighted smile after the result was announced.

    Dai Kurokawa / EPA

    President Obama's step-grandmother Sarah Onyango Obama smiles during a press conference held after Obama's victory was announced in Nyang'oma Kogelo village, where President Barack Obama's late father Barack Obama Sr. was raised and Sarah lives, on November 7, 2012.

    Dai Kurokawa / EPA

    Kenyan supporters of Barack Obama react as they watch the news coverage announcing Obama's victory in Nyang'oma Kogelo village on November 7, 2012.

    Ben Curtis / AP

    Villagers ride motorcycles and wave branches to celebrate Barack Obama's re-election, in the village of Kogelo on Nov. 7, 2012.

    At the elementary school where Obama studied as a boy in Jakarta, Indonesia, students happily marched with a poster of the president from one classroom to another after hearing that he had defeated Mitt Romney, Reuters reported. "Obama wins ... Obama wins again," they shouted.

    World leaders welcome Obama's 2nd term - but many challenges wait on his doorstep

    A statue of a young "Barry" Obama, as he was called as a child, stands outside the school.  "I want to be like him, the president," student Alexander Ananta said.

    Enny Nuraheni / Reuters

    Students at State Elementary School Menteng 01, where U.S. President Barack Obama studied from 1970-1971, cheer in support of Obama while watching television coverage of the U.S. presidential election in Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 7.

     

    Rafiq Maqbool / AP

    A U.S. citizen watches the live telecast of U.S. presidential election results in Mumbai, India, Nov 7, 2012.

    Reuters

    Staff and relatives of the Obama Onsen, or Obama hot spring, resort area shout "banzai," or cheers, in celebration next to a doll of Barack Obama in Unzen, Japan, Nov. 7. The banner reads "Ganbare (Cheers) Obama."

    See more images related to the election of 2012.

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    Slideshow: Election 2012

    Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    Campaigning with Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, voting and election results.

    Launch slideshow

  • Kenyan soldiers on patrol in former stronghold of al Qaeda-backed militants

    Stuart Price/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team via AP

    A Kenyan soldier stands guard in the center of the southern Somali port city of Kismayu on Oct. 5.

    Reuters reports: Kenyan troops in Somalia are working flush out rebel remnants after al Qaeda-backed militants fled last week from their last major stronghold. "We don't want to be seen as an occupying force," Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a Kenyan army spokesman, told a Reuters reporter travelling with Kenyan forces. Al Shabaab fighters fled the southern Somali port city of Kismayu a week ago, leaving behind a small number of militants to carry out suicide bombings, hit-and-run grenade attacks and targeted shootings, Oguna said. Full Story

    Stuart Price/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team via AP

    Unexploded ordnance, including rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells left behind by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group Al Shabaab, are destroyed in a controlled detonation in Kismayu on Oct. 5.

    Eds. note: These picture were made available Oct. 6

    Stuart Price/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team via AP

    Kenyan soldiers patrol in Kismayu.

    Stuart Price/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team via AP

    Kenyan soldiers patrol Kismayu on Oct. 5.

    Stuart Price/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team via AP

    A fighter of the pro-governmnet Ras Kimboni Brigade stands with a belt-fed machine gun inside the former compound housing the offices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) during a combat engineering team's sweep for unexploded ordnance in Kismayu on Oct. 5.

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