Riots erupt after Kenya's president re-elected

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Kenya's government has suspended all live television broadcasts as violence engulfed Nairobi following the re-election of incumbent president Mwai Kibaki.

A senior official from the Kenyan Television Network said it had been ordered to stop live broadcasts as rioters went on the rampage.

Kenyan television had earlier broadcast an address from the chairman of the electoral commission announcing that Kibaki had narrowly defeated Raila Odinga, of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, winning by slightly more than 231,000 votes of the more than 8.9 million votes cast.

A top media executive said on condition of anonymity that the decision to suspend broadcasts had "taken back democratic process by 15 years."

Police denied there had been violence following the announcement of the result, which was contested by Odinga's party who accused the government of "doctoring" the count.

But a CNN crew witnessed plumes of smoke rising over the Kibera slum, a stronghold of support for the opposition and the scene of pitched battles between rioters and police on Saturday.

Witnesses said rioters were setting fire to buildings in protest at the result, CNN producer Kim Norgaard reported. See images of election violence in Kenya »

"This country is going to turn into a war zone," The Associated Press quoted Kibera resident Elisha Kayugira as saying.

Following a swearing-in ceremony, Kibaki insisted the elections were "free and fair" and called upon opposition parties to set aside their differences and to "let us all work together to build consensus." Watch as Kibaki calls for "healing and reconciliation" »

The U.S. State Department echoed the president's sentiment and congratulated Kibaki on his re-election. A spokesman for the State Department called on all Kenyans to abide by the results so that the nation can move forward.

Earlier supporters of Odinga disrupted a press conference where the electoral commission was expected to announce the results.

The chairman of the electoral commission, Samuel Kivuitu, was escorted out of the room after shouts broke out from supporters of Odinga who accused the government of election fraud. Kivuitu was taken under armed guard to his private offices where he announced the result in an address later broadcast on state television.

Odinga's party accused the government of "doctoring" the results.

Odinga claimed the official counts from 48 out of a total 210 constituencies were flawed, saying that around 300,000 votes were in dispute.

He also introduced an official from the commission who said he witnessed vote-rigging by staff at the commission's headquarters.

The official said he had been asked to sign off returns from polling stations from Kenya's eastern coastal region that he claimed had been deliberately altered by commission staff.

Odinga had said earlier that if the president was announced winner "it will do the biggest injustice to the people of this country."

According to AP reports, at least 14 people have been killed in election-related violence since Thursday's voting in Kenya. Nine died Sunday in the Mathare shantytown, AP reported.

Protesters waving machetes were shouting "Kibaki must go!" as buses and shops burned in Mathare, AP reported.

Kibaki's slim margin of victory is a marked difference from his win five years ago, in a landslide election. He had run on promises to fight corruption.

He has seen his authority erode amid a number of high-profile corruption scandals in his government.

He faced a serious challenge from Odinga, a flamboyant politician who hails from the minority Luo tribe and has won support from rural and urban voters after promising to share the wealth among all the people.

A peaceful election and a smooth transition of power were seen as crucial for Kenya, a stable country in an otherwise-volatile region. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

All About Mwai Kibaki • Kenya