Some Kenyans living in Nigeria on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over the smooth electoral process and urged their countrymen and women to accept the result of the election.

Newsmen report that the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is collating the results of the elections which held on Tuesday.

Some of the Kenyans in Abuja made the call in an interview with newsmen.

They said they monitored the process through news channels and constant communication with family and friends in Kenya and called on the supporters of supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga and Oresident Uhuru Kenyatta to remain peaceful and refrain from any incitement.

Miss Julie Kinuthia, an energy analyst, said that she was glad that there was a peaceful election in Kenya with over 40,000 polling stations with the appropriate tools made available.

“People were scared that there will be snatching of ballot boxes and some sort of misconducts to disrupt the elections but nothing of that nature happened

“Hopefully, Kenyans carry on the peaceful momentum till the winner is announced and after,’’ she said.

Joseph Kaleen, an Abuja based medical researcher who flew to Kenya for the elections, told journalist in a phone interview that Kenyans showed extreme eagerness to exercise their democratic rights.

“Myself and my friends across the country began queuing up by 1 a.m. just to ensure that we were able to vote.

“Many people turned up at the polling stations very early and with the aid of the electronic system made available, the process seemed to have been pretty smooth and fast.

“I did not have any problem with the process asides the fat that the materials came slightly late to my polling station.

“`We are eager to hear the results in the next couple of days but I just hope there will be peace.

“There were 14,000 contestants this year, that means 14,000 people are eager for power so I hope they keep a calm heads if they lose.

“I am however confident in the security forces as a large number of security personnel were dispatched to control the communities.

“We are all just hoping for the best for Kenya,’’ he said.

Miss Tobi Akande, a secondary school teacher, said “I had been fixed to all the news channels to ensure I didn’t miss anything.

“Like many, I kept hoping for a peaceful election process and I must say I was really impressed with the security presence and the performance of the electoral officials.

“I wish the best for Kenya as the country is a strong piece of the development of Africa.”

Newsmen report that Odinga rejected early results of a presidential election that showed he was losing to incumbent and long-time rival Uhuru Kenyatta, stoking fears that his disgruntled supporters could take to the streets.

As of 0300 GMT, the election commission website put Kenyatta ahead by 55.1 per cent of votes counted to 44 per cent for Odinga, a margin of nearly 1.4 million ballots with more than 80 per cent of polling stations reported.

Kenyatta, a 55-year-old businessman seeking a second five-year term, had held such a lead since the start of counting after Tuesday’s peaceful vote, the culmination of a hard-fought contest between the heads of Kenya’s two political dynasties.

Odinga, a 72-year-old former political prisoner and self-described leftist, rejected the results as “fictitious” and “fake”, lashing out in a late night news conference at which he said his party’s own tally put him ahead.

“We have our projections from our agents which show we are ahead by far,” Odinga said, questioning why published results were not accompanied by scanned copies of forms signed by all party agents in polling stations.

Kenyan law states that where there is a discrepancy between a result on the website and the form, the result on the form will be considered final.

Alleging vote-rigging, he also brought up the unsolved torture and murder of a top election official just over a week before the vote.

NAN