Sudanese nationals living in Kenya on Sunday started voting as officials allayed fears of a resurgence of conflict in the largest country in Africa.

Of 30,000 Sudanese living in the country, only 300 will participate in the elections being conducted at the embassy in Nairobi until tomrrow.

Majority of them, ambassador Majok Guandong said, didn’t meet the criteria of the National Electoral Commission to possess a travel passport and a Kenyan resident permit. They also had to be over 18 years.

“The elections are going to be free and fair despite reports of rigging,” Mr Guandong said, adding that those citing irregularities were merely “misinformed.”

“How can we talk of rigging even before the voting is conducted,” he said, referring to the claim by presidential candidate Yassir Said Amman.

Mr Amman, who was contesting on Sudanese People Liberation Movement withdrew out of the race claiming sitting president Omar al Bashir had already flawed the entire process.

“Those fears were not founded on evidence,” Mr Guandong said.

So far, there are nine other contestants a fact that the envoy said is a good sign of emergence of democracy in a country that is going to the polls in decades.

Mr Peter Kot, a law student at Mount Kenya University believes the election are important if his country is to finally fulfil its comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a 25-year war. “This will determine the future of Sudan,” said Mr Kot at the embassy along Kabarnet Road.