Death toll in Kenya violence reaches 800

Ethnic clashes convulsed western Kenya today as gangs fought with crude weapons and set homes ablaze, pushing the death toll from a month of violence over the country’s flawed presidential election to nearly 800.

The bloodshed – with today marking exactly one month since the December 27 vote - has transformed this once-stable African country, pitting long-time neighbours against each other and turning towns where tourists used to gather for luxury holidays into no-go zones.