BBC News: Kenya’s Raila Odinga “Inaugurates” Himself as President

Kenyan’s government is in turmoil with two men claiming to be president. Elections were held in August 2017, and courts found irregularities and ordered a repeat election in October. Raila Odinga, an opposition leader, boycotted that October election that led to President Uhuru Kenyatta being sworn in for a second term in November 2017. Official results suggest that Kenyatta won 98 percent of the vote with a 39 percent turnout. Odinga belatedly organized his own small swearing-in ceremony, and absent colleagues signal that the stunt has divided the opposition. Police did not stop the ceremony, but the government took the unusual step of shutting down television broadcasts and blocking live coverage of the event, reports BBC News. The event was streamed live over the internet: “Kenyan journalists have denounced the move as outrageous and in a statement called for ‘respect of the constitution’ and an end to the ‘unprecedented intimidation of journalists,’” notes the report, with analysis by Dickens Olewe that concludes: “it is unnclear whether the government will risk plunging Kenya, East Africa's biggest economy, into a deeper crisis by arresting the opposition leader” and Kenyatta’s “legacy will be stained as a result of the media shutdown.” – YaleGlobal