Bomas of Kenya, the national tallying centre, is somber at night, enlivened by occasional monkeys and inspirational choirs, all awaiting briefings on the presidential tally.
The declaration of the winner could take until Saturday at the latest.
The Utamaduni Restaurant, the main eatery, is filled with patrons, IEBC staff, election observers, party agents, security and journalists. It's overstretched and the staff is lean.
Mostly, the journalists drink tea to keep them awake on cold nights.
Since polling stations closed on Tuesday, journalists have been camping at Bomas day and night. They braving cold nights at the media centre, the only facility available for them.
Journalists sleeping on the floor and on chairs are common.
The tallying is done in an area off-limits.
The scribes drawn from almost all local and international media outlets spend night in chit-chat, laughter and analysis.
Their eyes are glued to four big screens projecting the presidential results tallied by media houses. The results are not identical, but show the candidates to be close.
Bomas is under 24-hours security surveillance with a contingent of hawk-eyed police officers keeping watch on every movement at the facility.
At night, the security surveillance is heightened with armed police officers stepping up patrols, leaving nothing to chance.
Right from the gate, the formidable General Service Unit officers subject all visitors to authorisation checks, as well as thorough security screening and frisking.
Only accredited persons are allowed access after scanning their special passes at the gate to the tallying centre.
IEBC banners in luminous green are placed on both sides, all the way from the main gate to the auditorium.
That's where IEBC chairman and presidential returning officer Wafula Chebukati will announce the final results.
Ten metres' from the gate, a screaming sign post on the right saysca beware of roving warthogs, baboons and monkeys. They occasionally cross from adjacent Nairobi National Park.
They're curious and looking for food, but monkeys and baboons can bite, scratch and steal you food, phone or camera.
Inside the auditorium, three choir groups sing in turns, entertaining visitors between the periodic night updates by the IEBC.
Wednesday’s night briefing was rescheduled at the eleventh hour to Thursday at 10am after stakeholders, including presidential candidates representative, were kept waiting for hours.
The choirs sang late into the night.
The singers include the visiting Mtakatifu Kizito choir from Tanzania, the Muungano choir and the Mzalendo choir.
(Edited by V. Graham)
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