Kenya decides on Kenyatta - 11 Mar 2013

All eyes were on Kenya this past week as many Kenyans took to polling stations last Monday to elect a new president. Many observers closely watched the elections in fear that the country would once again see the kind of violence that killed thousands in the 2007 elections. While no such acts of violence were reported, the new electronic voting system, designed to eliminate any chance of vote rigging, was on the tip of many a tongue. The tallying of votes was interrupted with several technical glitches.

Two days after citizens made their mark on ballot papers, the electronic system was abandoned and the count was then restarted - by hand. On Saturday, it was confirmed that Uhuru Kenyata was elected as the President of Kenya. In his victory speech, he thanked the Kenyan media for showing responsibility and sensitivity in the dissemination of news, and the treatment of the results as well as helping to keep the country calm during the period.

Earlier today, president Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) took to his Twitter account and tweeted, "Kenya will play its rightful role in the region and continent. The African star is shining brightly. The destiny of Africa is in our hands". We now sit back and watch how he takes on the role of leader of the East African country.

In other news across the continent, Airtel rolls out mobile HD voice service for its subscribers across Africa. Alliance Media has partnered up with some large multinationals in Kenya to launch some exciting campaigns. It appears that social media integration is on the rise, this is according to Deon Scheepers of Interactive Intelligence Africa and for the fifth time, Mobile Money Africa returns in May 2013.

Have a fantastic week!
Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985