Election observers from the United States and European Union on Thursday praised the largely peaceful general elections in Kenya, where widespread communal strife had been feared on polling day.
US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Rannenberger, leading a team of about 200 observers, said the exercise was peaceful despite delays and isolated acts of violence that left at least two people dead and wounded three others.
"There were difficulties and one or two isolated incidents of violence... but the overall picture has been positive," Rannenberger told reporters.
"I take this opportunity to commend the Kenyan people for what appears, based on initial reports, to be a positive process," he said.
The EU chief election observer Alexander Graf Lambsdorff also praised the peaceful manner in which the polls were conducted, but said a comprehensive review would be released on Saturday.
"We are very happy that, generally speaking, the voting has been conducted in a peaceful manner across the country," said Lambsdorff, also a German member of the European parliament.
He also said that turnout appeared to be high.
The EU observer mission numbers around 150 monitors spread out across the east African nation, which is holding its fourth presidential election since pluralism was reintroduced in 1992.
According to AFP correspondents and Kenyan media, the 14-million-strong electorate turned out en masse for the nation's closest ever presidential poll, with incumbent Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga neck-and-neck.
The Electoral Commission of Kenya has not released official turnout figures.
In the 2002 elections, which saw Kibaki oust former dictator Daniel arap Moi, turnout was 57.2 percent.
According to the presidency, a total of 30,000 local and international observers are deployed in the country's 27,000 polling stations.
Kenya was relatively stable compared to some of its African neighbours but has a history of electoral violence. According to Kenya's main rights group, nearly 80 died in poll-related violence during the campaign.
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