Tribes in standoff as villagers flee bloodshed

AS DUSK settled hordes of villagers wielding wooden planks, rocks and metal wire lined the road into town.

The Kenyans were waiting to act out more revenge after the previous night’s burning of homes and brutal killings.

A quick downpour of rain saw the rows of armed young men move into the shadows, but only briefly before they emerged again.

On the other side of the road, hundreds of frightened villagers sought safety. A handful of armed police, most of them sitting out the standoff in a truck, were in between both groups.

The fleeing Luo tribe villagers huddled in a field, occasionally moving further from the road when roars went up from the Kikuyu crowds on the other side. Police remained motionless in between.

It was neighbour turning against neighbour yesterday in this run-down suburb on the road leading into Naivasha, traditionally Kenya’s biggest flower-producing town.

For two days, running battles among two ethnic groups have left more than 20 dead. A town official yesterday told reporters more than half of those killed were burnt in homes, while others were beaten or hacked to death.

In Naivasha, women quickly moved into town from suburbs carrying on their heads boxes and bags while on their backs they were laden down with mattresses and babies. A trail of them with their families disappeared into the hills. They later emerged from the scrub in the town and it was quickly evident where families were headed, in their thousands.

Packed behind mesh wire at the local police station, villagers in fear of their lives had set up home. Outside of the yard, hordes of young men wandered aimlessly among concrete rubble that had blocked the town’s roads during the day.

Further ahead, the morgue’s gates lay open, one of the only places operating, as every business was shut, including the bus station and Naivasha’s market.

It is feared political factions are hiring ruthless gangs from the Mungiki sect to carry out these attacks.

The Mungiki is a quasi-political religious cult in Kenya but also seen as a criminal gang. They are a type of mafia, known for running rackets on bus services between towns as well as acting as security for businesses.

Community leaders have admitted they are the ones ruthlessly carrying out revenge for the Kikuyus, the tribe loyal to President Mwai Kibaki.

Luo tribesmen, loyal to Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, initially carried out attacks following last month’s alleged rigged election. Now revenge is being doled out against them. But following two days of clashes in Naivasha, conflicts have also flared up in other Kenyan regions including north in Timboroa and west in Kisumu.

Kenya’s Red Cross described the situation last night as “very volatile”.

Kenya’s police commissioner Hussein Ali told reporters yesterday his forces were not overwhelmed.

Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan continued attempts to broker negotiations.

Local bus services shut down completely between areas yesterday. Locals also fear severe hardship ahead as tourists have disappeared, in what usually is a peak season for travellers to the east African country.

With a death toll of more than 800 since last month’s election, the holidaying foreigner is unlikely to book Kenya as their destination anytime soon.