The violence has claimed the lives of about 350 people. 50 of them were burned in a church that served as a shelter to escape the violent protests. Some of the people that have been displaced were housed in makeshift camps. Others would seek refuge in churches and the police stations.
Western Kenya has been hit hard the most as almost all the refugees are hungry with several children dying of exposure. According to the top UN official in Kenya, at least a half million Kenyans need immediate help.
The United Nations World Food Programme said that it’s rushing to bring food to the Rift Valley Area where there are at least 100,000 displaced people. So far, an international appeal has been made by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“The level of hatred is very high. Violence of the tribal origin is the worst – it knows no limits and is extremely difficult to quell,” according to Alexandre Liebeskind, who is the deputy head of ICRC operations for the Horn of Africa.
While the protests have faltered, the government said it might accept a fresh election if it was ordered by the courts. The official elections result was that the incumbent Mwai Kibaki won and was reelected as Kenya’s president.
As a result, protesters were furious and accused Kibaki of election fraud. Many went on rampages killing many people and torching many facilities.
A group of independent UN rights experts said in a statement: “We are profoundly alarmed by the reports of incitement to racial hatred and the growing frictions between the different ethnic groups in Kenya.”
According to BBC, the Catholic Church is leading a coordinated relief effort to get blankets, tents, and food to at least 30,000 locals who have been made homeless as a result of the post-election violence.
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