First rigging allegation as Kenyan media slow tally of votes in tight presidential race

Police officers secure the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials from rowdy agents after the general election, at the St. Teresa Girls Secondary School tallying centre near Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

NAIROBI (Reuters) -Without providing any proof, the secretary-general of Kenya's governing party has said there was election rigging, fuelling public anxiety on Friday as media outlets significantly slowed down their unofficial tallies from Tuesday's tight vote.

Only the electoral commission is authorised to declare a winner, but the tallies done by media were seen as a bulwark against the kind of rigging allegations that have previously sparked violence.