Kenyatta takes early lead as Kenya counts votes

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan presidential hopeful Uhuru Kenyatta opened an early lead as ballots were counted on Tuesday in an election that brought out millions of voters despite pockets of violence that killed at least 15 people.

The deputy prime minister, who faces international charges of crimes against humanity linked to the last election, was provisionally ahead of Prime Minister Raila Odinga by 53 to 42 percent with about half the votes counted.

But Kenyatta could still be overhauled as the count goes on in a vote Kenyans hope will restore their nation's image as one of Africa's most stable democracies after the bloodshed five years ago.

Although voting passed off broadly peacefully with a big turnout, the real test will be whether the candidates and their backers accept the result, after the disputed 2007 vote touched off ethnic blood-letting that killed more than 1,200 people.

"Nobody should celebrate, nobody should complain," election commission chairman Isaac Hassan told journalists, saying work was going on to resolve glitches and speed up the count. "We therefore continue to appeal for patience from the public."

The commission says provisional results may not be tallied until Wednesday, meaning an official declaration will not come until then or later.

Kenyatta's lead has held overnight but about 60 percent of polling stations have yet to report. Odinga's camp said counting in their strongholds had not been completed yet and a debate over the fate of a sizeable number of rejected votes could help shift the balance.

The United States and Western donors have watched the vote closely, concerned about the stability of a nation seen as a regional ally in the fight against militant Islam.

They also worry about what to do if Kenyatta wins, because of the charges he faces at the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to the violence five years ago.

With memories of that violence still fresh, many Kenyans are determined to prevent a repeat and have vowed to accept the outcome, as have the candidates.

INVESTOR RELIEF

"People should be patient; in 2007 Mr Odinga was leading against Mwai Kibaki in preliminary results, the following day when we woke up, things turned upside down and Kibaki won the elections. I believe the same thing would happen," said Christopher Otieno, 31, a seller of household wares.

Investors breathed a sigh of relief after voting passed off calmly, initially strengthening the Kenyan shilling against the U.S. dollar. The shilling later lost some of its gains after the slow count cast doubt on whether a first-round victor would emerge. Analysts said an outright win would be preferred to a run-off, which would prolong uncertainty.

The inspector general of the Kenyan police, David Kimaiyo, told a news conference he would not allow demonstrations anywhere in the country over delays in releasing the election results because of concerns protests could turn violent.

According to the election commission's provisional tally, Kenyatta's led by 53 percent of votes counted to Odinga's 42 percent by late afternoon, based on a tally of more than 5 million votes.

With turnout estimated by the election commission at more than 70 percent, a total of about 10 million votes must be tallied in the nation of 14.3 million eligible voters. If no one wins more than 50 percent, a run-off is tentatively set for April.

"Initially the sentiment was in favour of a first round win for Uhuru, but it's kind of difficult to gauge that now," said Ignatius Chicha, head of markets at Citibank.

William Ruto, Kenyatta's running mate who also faces charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC, called the vote "free, fair and credible". During voting he said: "We shall cooperate with the court with a final intention of clearing our names."

CREDIBILITY

Odinga's party said it was still confident it would get back into the race as the counting continued, but also pointed to irregularities in the process including late voting by voters in some areas, hinting at legal challenges ahead. Odinga had questioned preparations before the poll.

Odinga's running mate and outgoing vice president, Kalonzo Musyoka, discouraged his rivals from "premature celebrations".

"We appeal for calm and call on our supporters to relax because we are confident that after all votes are in, CORD will carry the day," Musyoka said told a news conference.

The election commission acknowledged a polling clerk had been caught issuing extra ballots and said manual voter lists were used where the electronic registration system failed. But it has said there were no significant problems in voting.

Raising the stakes in the race, Odinga could be facing his last crack at the presidency after narrowly missing out in 2007 to now-outgoing President Mwai Kibaki, who has served a maximum of two five-year terms.

Kenya's African neighbours, whose economies felt the shockwaves last time, have watched intently. Some landlocked states stockpiled fuel and other material, worried that Kenya's vital trade route could again be cut if violence flared.

But violence on election day was limited to pockets in the north and east of the country.

At least 15 people were killed in two attacks by machete-wielding gangs in the Mombasa region hours before the vote on Monday. Police officers blamed a separatist movement, the Mombasa Republican Council, suggesting different motives to the ethnic killings after the 2007 vote. The MRC denied any role.

Alongside the presidential race, there were elections for senators, county governors, members of parliament, women representatives in county assemblies and civic leaders.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Akwiri in Mombasa, Richard Lough, Beatrice Gachenge, Duncan Miriri, Kevin Mwanza and James Macharia in Nairobi; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by)