Kenya Votes: What did Kenyatta, Odinga say after casting their ballots?

Kenyans are voting to elect their next president and already, thousands have exercised their franchise across the country.

Among the voters were the two main candidates: incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta and veteran opponent Raila Odinga.

Both candidates voted before noon as they braved through the long queues at the polling stations.

Kenyatta voted at Mutomo Primary School in the Kiambu constituency, Kiambu county, at 11:30am. He arrived with his wife, First Lady Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta who was spotted earlier in a queue at a different polling station.

Kenyatta called for peace regardless of the outcome of the election.

“My competitors, as I have always said, in the event that they lose, let us accept the will of the people. I am willing myself to accept the will of the people. So to them too, accept the will of the people,” he said.

“Let us come together, let us pull this country together and let us move forward as one nation because that is the only way that we can achieve our joint vision for this country,” Kenyatta added.

This is a reiteration of what he said in his speech on Monday night ahead of the elections.

His main opponent Raila Odinga called on his supporters to turn out and vote in their large numbers.

“After finishing, in the evening, let’s meet at Uhuru Park and wait for the results,” he said.

Polls will close at 5pm local time for many polling stations while those who started late will get an extension.

19.6 million Kenyans are voting at 40,883 polling stations in 290 constituencies and 47 counties. Voting ends at 5pm local time.

• Meet the eight candidates for Kenya’s 2017 presidential elections
• A look at Kenya’s elections history since independence in 1964
• Kenya Votes 2017: Have a look at the electoral system

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