Kenyan Voters Undeterred by Rain or Heat, Turned Out to Vote for New Leader

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The critical vote-counting state has begun in Kenya's presidential election, a contest between two long-standing political dynasties in a country with a history of post-election violence.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was leading with 55 percent of the vote to challenger Raila Odinga's 44 percent when the election commission released early preminary results Tuesday, but that estimate was made with less than a quarter of the country's nearly 41,000 polling stations counted.

Elections officials have up to a week to announce full results, but they may opt to announce the outcome as soon as possible to alleviate the possibility of violence.

Kenyans stood in line for hours Tuesday to cast ballots, facing rain and both cold and hot weather conditions throughout the day.

In addition to choosing between indumbent Kenyatta and challenger Odinga, voters also decided on senators, governors, women’s representatives of the national assembly, members of the national assembly, and members of the county assembly.

Hellen Mazitoh is a 32-year-old voter from the Githogoro slum in Nairobi. She waited in line for well over seven hours, but says she isn’t complaining.

“Let me say, the election mood is good. People are voting. Once they vote, they are going home. Nothing bad has occurred. Nobody left, people are responding well,” said Mazitoh.