Police try to squash protests before Kenyan election

Police in Kenya said Friday they shot and killed two opposition protesters who stormed a police station with rocks and farm tools. The government on Thursday banned opposition protests in the business districts of major cities. Police throughout the country are trying to disperse crowds who are calling for election reform ahead of a do-over vote for president on Oct. 26. Last month, the Kenyan Supreme Court rejected the results of the August presidential election, saying hackers used the electoral commission’s computer system to manipulate the vote in favor of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyan legislators passed a law to try to prevent electronic ballot tampering, but opponents of the president say the law only serves to bolster his power. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who pulled out of the new vote earlier this week, told The Associated Press he is “ready to jump in the field” if the government and electoral commission accept his demands for reforms.