video transcript

(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION) Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Monday (March 4) voted with his fellow Kenyans in a presidential election that will test whether the east African nation can rebuild its image after tribal blood-letting followed a 2007 poll, but the killing of at least four policemen cast an early shadow. A few hours before voting officially started at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT), four police officers deployed to keep the peace during the vote in the Mombasa area were hacked to death by a gang of machete-wielding youths, a senior officer said. Officials and candidates have made impassioned appeals to avoid a repeat of the tribal bloodshed that erupted over the disputed result of the 2007 election, which killed more than 1,200 people and hurt Kenya's reputation as one of Africa's most stable democracies. As in 2007, the race has come down to a high-stakes head-to-head between two candidates, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta. The West also frets about the outcome of the presidential race. Kenyatta has been indicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court after he was accused with his running mate, William Ruto, of instigating the post-2007 vote violence. He denies the charges. But, if he wins, it would present a diplomatic dilemma for Western nations that donate hundreds of millions dollars a year to Kenya.