Slaughter in Kenya Takes Death Toll to Almost 800

Jan 28, 06:07 PM

The bloodshed which began a month ago yesterday over the flawed presidential elections has transformed this once-stable African country, pitting longtime neighbours against each other and turning towns where tourists used to gather for luxury holidays into no-go zones.

It is also frustrating the efforts of former UN Secretary- General KofiAnnan, the latest international mediator trying to bring together President Mwai Kibaki and his rivals.

The violence has mainly pitted President Kibaki's Kikuyu people against other ethnic groups who support the opposition because they feel marginalised.

We have moved out to avenge the deaths of our brothers and sisters who have been killed and nothing will stop us, said Anthony Mwangi, hefting a club in Naivasha, 55 miles northwest of Nairobi, a previously quiet tourist town.

For every one Kikuyu killed, we shall avenge their killing with three.

Kikuyus were the main victims in the initial eruption of violence, with hundreds killed and more than half of those driven from their homes belonging to Kibaki's tribe.

Now, however, it appears the Kikuyus are looking for revenge.

Some 55 bodies were counted yesterday at the morgue in Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's fertile Rift Valley, where ethnic clashes erupted late on Thursday, according to a morgue attendant.

Bodies were still arriving yesterday after the fighting spread to Naivasha. At least nine people were killed there by gangs with machetes, clubs, and bows and arrows.

Five others burned to death in their homes

(c) 2008 Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. Slaughter in Kenya Takes Death Toll to Almost 800
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