Image source, Reuters

The chief executive of Kenya's electoral commission, Ezra Chiloba, has defended the commission's decision to publish results of the election while voting is still under way, following accusations that it could influence the result.

Voting has been extended in some areas because logistical problems delayed the opening of their polling stations.

"If polling stations are affected by circumstances that make it impossible to complete the process, it is only natural for us to proceed with announcing results," Mr Chiloba said.

No major security incident has been reported in Kenya's tightly-contested general election, a police statement says.

It urged Kenyans to continue "with this spirit" as votes are counted.

The police have tweeted their full statement:

Counting of votes is under way in the port city of Mombasa, Kenya, as these photos taken by the BBC's Ahmed Haji Hassan show:

Image source, AFP

Lawmakers in South Africa's parliament have finished voting in the historic election on President Jacob Zuma's future.

Speaker Baleka Mbete did not vote, saying she will do so only if there is a tie.

A total of 201 MPs in the 400-member chamber need to vote against Mr Zuma, if he is removed from power.

The result will be announced once counting ends. Representatives of various parties will be present during the counting to ensure there are no irregularities.

Supporters of South Africa's President Zuma have been watching a live stream of proceedings in parliament, as MPs continue to cast their votes.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, opposition supporters have rallied in different parts of South Africa to demand his removal from office.

Image source, AFP

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP

There is a rare sight in South Aftica's parliament - four voting booths in the middle of the chamber. MPs are walking up, in an orderly fashion, to cast their ballot.

The 400-member chamber is deciding the fate of President Jacob Zuma.

Speaker Baleka Mbete decided that the vote should be by secret ballot because of the "toxic" political atmosphere.

Many Kenyan voters in the capital, Nairobi, have given the thumbs to the electoral commission for the way it ran the poll, a BBC reporter tweets from there:

The leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, has been accused of breaking rules by taking his phone into a voting booth, and the speaker has promised to deal with him later, a journalist in Cape Town tweets:

You can watch the results in Kenya's elections coming in on the electoral commission's website, external.

And officials have already posted the results of the first 5,000 votes to be counted.

The election officials count the ballots at the polling station and are then supposed to transmit the results to the election centre in the capital, Nairobi.

They electoral commission has seven days to announce the final result.

Two members of the governing ANC who had called on President Jacob Zuma to resign have cast their votes, a local radio station tweets:

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

A woman has given birth to a baby girl while waiting to cast her vote in Kenya's election.

Paulina Chemanang was helped to deliver the baby by other voters at Konyao Secondary School in West Pokot, before being rushed to a nearby dispensary.

She then returned to vote.

"Having given birth at a polling station is a blessing to me and I thank God,", she was quoted as saying by Kenya's privately-owned Capital FM radio station.

Ms Chemanang named her baby Chepkura. "Kura" means ballot or vote in Swahili.

South Africa's lawmakers seem determined to make sure their vote on the future of President Jacob Zuma is is secret, as a journalist tweets:

A spokesman for South Africa's governing ANC says he is confident that the no-confidence vote in President Jacob Zuma will be defeated, a BBC reporter tweets:

Will South Africa's parliament throw what governing party chief whip Jackson Mthembu called a "nuclear bomb" by voting out President Jacob Zuma?

That's the answer which everyone is waiting for as lawmakers vote, by secret ballot, on Mr Zuma's future.

Although Mr Mthembu has previously called on Mr Zuma - dogged by allegations of corruption - to resign, he issued a three-line whip to MPs of the governing ANC, instructing them to defeat the no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition.

Mr Mthembu raised fears that if Mr Zuma is ousted, it will be like throwing a "nuclear bomb at our country" as it will lead to the collapse of the government and cause political instability.

Opposition parties disagree, arguing that Mr Zuma and his business allies have turned South Africa into a klpetocracy - and corruption will get worse if he says in power.

His two terms as leader of the ANC are due to end in December, and as president in 2019.

Image source, EPA

Some people are keeping ANC supporters entertained as they await the result of the no-confidence vote at a public screening of the proceedings of parliament in Cape Town:

Dickens Olewe
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Kenya's polling stations have officially closed though those in the queue at 14:00 GMT (5pm local time) are being allowed to vote.

The long queues that had characterised the morning have largely disappeared - but there are people still waiting to vote

I met voters here in the capital who told me that it was their "best voting experience".

The electoral commission had put measures in place to allow for a smooth vote, they said.

The count will start at the polling stations at 15:00 GMT (6pm local time).

Image source, EPA

Supporters of South Africa's embattled President Jacob Zuma are rallying outside parliament as they await the result of the no-confidence vote in him.

South African MPs will soon vote in secret on the no-confidence motion in President Jacob Zuma.

Special voting booths have been set up on the floor of the parliamentary chamber.

Journalist Lester Kiewit has just tweeted this photo of party representatives checking the ballot papers.

Elayne Okaya, who is the head of Kenya's Institute for Education in Democracy, has been observing the election today and came across this man at a polling station in the slum area of Kibera in the capital, Nairobi:

Image source, Elayne Okaya

She says Fred is a boda boda, or motorbike taxi, driver. She adds:

She concludes:

A South African journalist has been sharing live updates from the gallery of the House - including this video of MPs breaking into song ahead of the no-confidence vote.