There’s growing anticipation that the much-awaited results of last week’s Kenya presidential election will be known shortly.
Desks being used for the result verification process have been cleared and the national tallying centre is being prepared for the declaration.
Deputy President William Ruto has a narrow lead over ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the latest count.
According to Kenyan law, the results must be announced by 16 August.
On Sunday, both Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto urged anxious Kenyans to be patient as they wait for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to determine which of them would be the country’s fifth president.
There have also been calls for peace from several leaders and bodies including the Catholic church which asked for “patience and civility” and urged the main candidates to show “restraint and statesmanship”.
Mr Ruto leads the official tally at 51% against Mr Odinga’s 48%, according to local media. Verified results from 39 of the 290 constituencies are yet to be declared.
BBC reports that media organisations have also been releasing provisional tallies using official data from the 46,000 polling stations. They also show a tight race. About 14 million votes were cast – a turnout of 65%.
IEBC officials have been busy verifying results at the Bomas cultural centre, in the capital, Nairobi, which is being used as the main tallying centre.
They are comparing photographs of result forms from the polling stations to physical forms that officials have brought to the centre to ensure they match.
This painstaking effort has seen the head of the electoral body, Wafula Chebukati, accuse agents from the main parties, who are witnessing the process, of turning a straightforward exercise into a “forensic” one.
His chief campaign manager was able to get to the lectern used by top electoral commission officials, where he criticised the result verification process.
“I want to announce to the nation that Bomas of Kenya is a scene of crime,” said Saitabao Ole Kanchory, before the microphone was switched off and he was led away.
Mr Ruto’s supporters accused their opponents of interfering with the tallying process.
Security has since been heightened inside the venue and access to the compound also restricted.
