US election day

9: 58 (Kenyan time) Obama: "Tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through... I've never been more hopeful about our future."

9: 53 (Kenyan time) Obama returns to White House 'more determined and more inspired than ever'

9: 45 (Kenyan time) Obama congratulates Romney on 'hard-fought campaign'. Vows to discuss with Romney ways to 'move this country forward'

9: 43 (Kenyan time) Obama: "The best is yet to come."

9:40 (Kenyan time) Obama gives victory speech

9: 40 (Kenyan time) Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni congratulatesBarack Obama for his re-election

9: 35 (Kenyan time) President Mwai Kibaki congratulates US President Barack Obama for his re-election

9: 21 (Kenyan time) Sky News projection: Romney wins Alaska

9: 20: (Kenyan time) Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin wins Wisc. Senate seat, CNN projects; will be 1st openly gay US senator

8:55: (Kenyan time) Mitt Romney: I pray that President Obama will be successful in guiding our nation

8:47: "On behalf of Kenyan's and the people of Kogelo, I wish @BarackObama & the people of the United States my heartfelt congratulations," Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga tweets

8:40 (Kenyan time) CBS News projects that Obama wins VIRGINIA

(READ: Celebration as Obama wins)

7:50 AM (Kenyan time) Mitt Romney stays out of sight as mood sours for GOP and key battlegrounds go to Obama

6:45 AM (Kenyan time) Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill fends off a challenge by Todd Akin, a Republican candidate triggered a firestorm with comments about "legitimate rape."

(READ: Rape row Republican loses Senate race in Missouri: networks)

6:30AM (Kenyan time) Mitt Romney has a slight edge with 163 out of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidential race. Barack Obama is on 158 electoral votes with some vote-rich states still to be called.

(READ: Virginia, Ohio still too close to call)

6:05AM (Kenyan time) President Barack Obama has taken two big strides towards re-election by blocking Mitt Romney's grab for Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the first key states called in their bitter White House race.

(READ: With key wins, Obama takes strides to re-election)

5:44 AM (Kenyan time) President Barack Obama has won the battleground state of Wisconsin, depriving Mitt Romney of a key target that could help him win the White House, US television networks projected.

(READ: Obama wins battleground Wisconsin: networks)

5:35 AM (Kenyan time) President Barack Obama has won the key state of Pennsylvania after a fierce tussle with Republican rival Mitt Romney, who had made a last-ditch bid to win over the populous state.

(READ: Obama takes key state of Pennsylvania: networks)

5:00 AM (Kenyan time) Here is a tally of partial results from 19 states and the District of Columbia in US presidential election, based on projections by US networks, with Virginia and Ohio too close to call.

(READ: CNN early exit polls project Romney winning)

4:35 AM (Kenyan time) White House rivals Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have grabbed early wins in states traditionally loyal to their parties but swing states Virginia, Florida and Ohio were too close to call.

(READ: Swing states too close to call in early US results)

4:20 AM (Kenyan time) Polls have closed in 16 states including the populous states of Pennsylvania and Florida, where networks said the race between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was too close to call.

(READ: Polls shut in too-close-to-call Florida)

3:30 AM (Kenyan time) Polls have closed in Ohio -- widely considered the most crucial state in President Barack Obama's re-election bid, with television networks saying the race was too close to call.

(READ: Polls close in crucial Ohio)

3:15 AM (Kenyan time) Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney picks up his first wins in two safe states on Tuesday while President Barack Obama wins Vermont as expected according to US television networks.

(READ: Romney, Obama get first wins in safe states: networks)

2:50 AM (Kenyan time) Mitt Romney says he is intellectually and emotionally convinced he will win the White House, and has penned an 1,118-word victory speech he hopes to unveil on election night.

(READ: Romney predicts victory, turns introspective)

2:30 AM (Kenyan time) Voting went smoothly in Tuesday's US elections, except when it didn't. Some computer problems, as well as human ones, drew complaints across the country as millions of Americans went to the polls.

(READ: Vote glitch reports pile up in US election)

2:05 AM (Kenyan time)

CNN has just released its first exit polls which indicate that the 60 per cent of voters in Virginia, one of the battle states, are most concerned about the economy. 53 per cent of the voters think Mitt Romney will better handle the economy than Barack Obama.

2:00 AM (Kenyan time)

Presidential contenders Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are locked in a tight race for the White House.

Polls opened at 6:00 am (1100 GMT) in battleground states New Hampshire and Virginia — either of which could decide the election — as well as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont.

After a nearly two-year-long campaign season — the most expensive and one of the most negative on record — Americans will decide whether to re-elect Mr Obama despite the sluggish economy or opt for the change promised by Mr Romney. (READ: Voters turn out in force for Obama-Romney finale)