Kenya made all three major network newscasts in the United States on Monday, and for reasons nobody wanted. Only three or four minutes of a network newscast in the United States is used to cover international news, and the only other international story featured was the Bhutto assassination in Pakistan. As NBC reporter Martin Fletcher said, it is a "bad week" for democracy in Africa. The NBC anchor, Lester Holt, said the violence showed "no signs of subsiding."
The violence has claimed the lives of about 100-160 people so far, the news agencies report, and the number is climbing. AFP is reporting that six people from the Kikuyu ethnic group, which is President Mwai Kibaki's ethnic group, the largest in Kenya, were found hacked to death in the coastal city of Mombasa. The BBC is reporting that tourists are stuck at the city's airport.
Moreover, at least 46 bodies were brought to the mortuary in Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, a mortuary attendant told AFP. "These bodies were brought here overnight by police officers," the mortuary officer said, adding that 20 of them had multiple bullet wounds. A daytime curfew has been imposed on the city. Kisumu is in opposition candidate Raila Odinga's stronghold. Although the city (like most Kenyan cities) is made of people from many different ethnic groups, the area is dominated by the Luo, Odinga's ethnic group.
Refugees are fleeing western Kenya for Uganda, Kampala's New Vision newspaper reported. Meanwhile, Nairobi's large slums are stirring, and reports indicate that at least 40 people have lost their lives in the capital. Kibera, the largest slum in Africa and part of Odinga's constituency, has been the scene of some of the worst violence. Youths in the area blocked a nearby road, according to the BBC.
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Protesters are reportedly yelling the slogan - "No Raila, No Peace." The Associated Press is reporting that police officers have shoot-to-kill orders. Violence has broken out throughout country, including the Rift Valley, an area with a long history of electoral ethnic violence. There is no clear indication of how well the media is covering the rural areas, especially with the government threatening to further crack down on the media. The government has already ordered the shut-down of television stations.
The New York Times did report one positive - a peace march in Nairobi. But a quotation from the Times seemed best sum up what is can be described as a horrible day: "This is a total throwback," said Maini Kiai, the chairperson for the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. "We are going back to the days of dictatorship," he added, referring to the dark days when former President Daniel arap Moi ruled with an iron fist.
