Kenya"s main opposition leader Raila Odinga has withdrawn from the re-run of the presidential elections, as reported by Voice of America on 10 October 2017, on grounds of "grievances with the electoral commission and President Uhuru Kenyatta"s ruling party". A related article in the Washington Post dated 18 October 2017, reports that one of the seven election commissioners has resigned and fled to the United States. The commissioner said in a statement that "the upcoming elections had no chance of being credible and fair and it had become "˜increasingly difficult" for her to perform her duties at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)." Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, finds the situation in Kenya tense and also frightening: "It was only ten years ago that post-election violence resulted in the death and displacement of thousands of people. What makes the current situation worse is that the country is also facing serious security challenges posed by al-Shabaab. In this context Christians could become a primary target should the situation escalate further. Al-Shabaab has already killed hundreds of Christians in the region in the past years."
