Official polling has closed in Kenya’s largely peaceful general elections, with minor hitches reported in the use of electronic voting equipment in some centres, APA can report from Nairobi on Tuesday.
In some polling centres where queues have been long, polling has been extended for a few hours.
It is the tightest race for the presidency in recent times as the two frontrunners deputy president William Ruto, 55 and longstanding opposition contender Raila Odinga, 77 go head to head.
Two other contenders considered outsiders are also gunning for the presidency, namely David Waihiga Mwaure of the Agano Party and George Wajackoyah of the Roots Party of Kenya.
The winner of the presidency must garner over 50 percent of the votes.
Mr Odinga voted in the Nairobi suburb of Kibra and was cheered on by his supporters.
Mr Ruto voted in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret.
Polling was for 11 hours, closing at 14:00 GMT although those late comers have been allowed to cast their paper ballot beyond the stipulated official end of voting.
On the eve of the vote the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced that due to hitches around the electronic fingerprint equipment, voting in local counties elections will not go ahead as originally planned on Tuesday.
Outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta who is constitutionally barred from running again at the end of his second five-year term is backing longstanding political foe Odinga.
Kenyatta 60, fell out with his depity Ruto at the beginning of his second mandate as president.
Corruption, climate change, poverty and the torrid post-Covid economic hardships were the recurrent themes of the campaigning ahead of the polls which opened as early as 6am local time.
Voters had stayed near polling stations overnight and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission are expected to announce the results after 24/48 hours.
Corruption as a central theme in Kenya’s election campaign could make or break Ruto or Odinga as both men are fingered in graft, the former while still as deputy president, the latter as prime minister between 2008 and 2013.
WN/as/APA