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| On ], ], police reported that 40 people were killed in Nairobi and 53 in Kisumu, a major support base for Odinga. Four bodies were discovered in ], in Nairobi, seven people were killed in ], and four people found dead in a village near ].<ref>, Al Jazeera, December 31, 2007.</ref> | On ], ], police reported that 40 people were killed in Nairobi and 53 in Kisumu, a major support base for Odinga. Four bodies were discovered in ], in Nairobi, seven people were killed in ], and four people found dead in a village near ].<ref>, Al Jazeera, December 31, 2007.</ref> | ||
| On January 1, a ] providing shelter from the violence to 200 people was set alight by rioters, burning 35 people to death.<ref name="diplomatic push">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7167363.stm</ref> | |||
| As the riots grew more and more out of control, ], and an official curfew has since been declared. | As the riots grew more and more out of control, ], and an official curfew has since been declared. | ||
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| Civil unrest in Kenya | |||||||
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| File:2007 and 2008 Violence in Kenya.jpg Clashes in Nairobi | |||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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486 killed 250,000 displaced | |||||||
Civil unrest in Kenya erupted after incumbent Mwai Kibaki was declared winner of the country's presidential elections that took place on December 27, 2007. Supporters of Kibaki's opponent - Raila Odinga - went on a rampage in several parts of the country, burning shacks, shops and cars. Simultaneously, it has been alleged that Kenyan police fatally fired upon demonstrators.
The anger stems from reports that the vote counting was rigged by the electoral commission in Kibaki's favour. Kibaki was sworn in a hastily conducted ceremony at Nairobi State House which was perceived as an attempt to pre-empt demands for a vote recount.
Reports by international observers about manipulations and admissions by members of the electoral commission that their staff obviously provided them with incorrect figures have further fuelled this anger. The violence has been directed mainly against Kikuyus, belonging to the same ethnic group as Kibaki.
The violence against Kikuyus occurred mainly in areas like the Nairobi Slums, Nyanza Province, the Rift Valley and the Coast where opposition against Kibaki is particularly strong. The ethnically diverse Nairobi slums have also seen violence by Kikuyu dominated groups -amongst them the infamous Mungiki- against neighbours hailing from western parts of Kenya.
Timeline
A BBC reporter saw 43 bodies with gunshot wounds in a mortuary in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu. A witness said armed police shot protesters at a rally. There have been running battles in the Nairobi slums. The local KTN television station says 124 have died nationwide in the first two days of unrest.
On December 31, 2007, police reported that 40 people were killed in Nairobi and 53 in Kisumu, a major support base for Odinga. Four bodies were discovered in Mathare, in Nairobi, seven people were killed in Nakuru, and four people found dead in a village near Kapsabet.
On January 1, a church providing shelter from the violence to 200 people was set alight by rioters, burning 35 people to death.
As the riots grew more and more out of control, workers refused to perform their jobs, and an official curfew has since been declared.
In the Coast Province, various Kikuyu businessmen had their business premises looted and burnt down.
A large rally at which millions were expected to support Odinga, who planned to proclaim himself the "people's president", was planned for January 3 but then postponed to January 8 after police dispersed crowds with tear gas. On January 7 Odinga called off the planned protests after meeting U.S. envoy Jendayi Frazer, saying the mediation process was about to begin.
Casualties and displacement
Over 350 people have now died in the post-poll bloodshed. 75,000 have fled, mostly to neighboring Uganda. The largest single loss of life was when a church providing shelter from the violence to 200 people was set alight by rioters, burning 35 people to death. The people who were sheltering were members of President Kibaki's native tribe, the Kikuyu.
Former Olympic athlete Lucas Sang died under unknown circumstances in a riot at Eldoret on January 1. Politician G.G. Njuguna Ngengi was hacked to death in Kuresoi, near Molo, on January 2.
Regional Implications
The violence in Kenya has had serious economic rafications throughout East Africa, particulary for the landlocked countries of the Great Lakes region (Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo). These countries depend upon Kenyan infrastructure links (particularly the port at Mombasa) for important imports as well as export routes. Signifcant shortages of gasoline were reported in Uganda as well as Zanzibar following the elections. The East African Community, despite having election observers in Kenya, has not yet issued a statement.
Reactions
- A government spokesman claimed that Mr Odinga's supporters were "engaging in ethnic cleansing".
- Mr Odinga said Mr Kibaki's camp was "guilty, directly, of genocide" as he called for international mediation.
References
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7174670.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7174670.stm
- http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/AMMF-7AHH73?OpenDocument
- http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/satelliteimages/119936780779.htm
- ^ "Scores Dead in Kenya Poll Clashes". BBC. 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- Jeffrey Gettleman, "Disputed Vote Plunges Kenya Into Bloodshed", The New York Times, December 31, 2007.
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7165602.stm#map
- http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=104196
- "Kenya: Death and Chaos After Kibaki Win". The Nation (Nairobi). 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- "Election riots worsen in Kenya", Al Jazeera, December 31, 2007.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7167363.stm
- http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iJwWD-VW8iTFFDvK61PEYHSPhyKA
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7174670.stm
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7172868.stm
- The Standard, January 3, 2008: Poll violence claim former athlete Sang
- The Standard, January 3, 2008: Politician killed in ethnic clashes
- The Standard 3.01.2008 Raila takes the lead in search for a way out