...A joint statement by the British Foreign Office and the Department for International Development cited "real concerns" over irregularities, while international observers refused to declare the election free and fair.
The European Union's chief observer, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, said that in one constituency his monitors saw official results for Kibaki that were 25,000 votes lower than the figure subsequently announced by the electoral commission. "Because of this and other observed irregularities, doubt remains as to the accuracy of the result of the presidential election as announced today," he said.
But the US, which cooperates closely with the Kibaki government on anti-terrorism matters, congratulated the president on his re-election and said it supported the electoral commission's decision. Robert McInturff, a state department spokesman, said: "The United States congratulates the winners and is calling for calm, and for Kenyans to abide by the results declared by the election commission..."