Paramilitary and regular police units deployed overnight at perceived potential flashpoints after a turbulent campaign in which violence killed nine people and wounded dozens. Witnesses reported scores of paramilitary officers armed with assault rifles on the edge of Nairobi’s volatile Kibera slum, an opposition stronghold, from Sunday evening. “This is normal practice in areas where there may be tension, but no one should feel intimidated to vote,” said Mani Lemayian, a spokesman for the electoral commission. Some said the arrival of the feared paramilitary General Service Unit in Kibera might stoke tensions there, noting there was no such deployment during peaceful elections in 2002.

“That is clearly intimidation,” said Koki Muli, a poll expert organising a 19,000-strong force of Kenyan observers during the referendum. «It just does not help. Everyone is on edge, scared and nervous as it is,» she told Reuters. Riots convulsed Nairobi for three days in July when the constitution was published. At least one person was killed. A further eight have been killed in riots around campaign rallies. Kibaki, 74, says the new charter will improve governance in a country ruined by decades of “Big Man” rule and theft of state funds under his strongman predecessor Daniel arap Moi.

In reality, critics argue, Kibaki is staging the vote to try to quash cabinet dissidents who accuse him of concentrating power around his Kikuyu tribe and permitting a group of business cronies to loot state coffers, a charge he denies. Although there were only several small opinion polls in the run-up to Monday’s vote, they showed the “No” camp ahead. Voters in Western Kenya, heartland of the Luo tribe whose leaders are backing the “No” vote, were in a confident mood. “We expect a big victory for the Orange,” said Kisumu town legislator Ken Nyagudi, referring to the “No” campaign’s fruit symbol. As he cast his vote, Nyagudi added, however, that the opposition feared “foul play” to rob the “No” camp of victory.

<B>William MACLEAN</B>