Print

Mail

wiki links

Kenyan cops on alert as protests end

A woman screams in front of a barricade in Kisumu, Kenya, on Friday. PHOTO: AFP

Kenyan police remained on high alert yesterday after three days of deadly opposition protests against Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's re-election, as envoys sought to broker an end to the crisis.

At least 25 people have been killed since supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday launched a series of nationwide protests that were fiercely repressed by anti-riot and paramilitary police.

On Friday at least five people were killed during demonstrations, four in the Nairobi slum of Kibera and one in the port city of Mombasa, police said.

Several bodies were also found across the country as the death toll from the violence mounted to more than 700 since the disputed Dec. 27 election.

Amnesty International condemned "excessive use of force" by the police.

"We recognize that the Kenyan police are trying to contain what in some cases have been violent protests in Kenya," said Erwin van der Borght, director of Amnesty's Africa Program.

"However, by firing live ammunition into crowds the police have far exceeded what is acceptable use of force. The firing of live ammunition into crowds cannot be justified," he said.

The US also condemned the violence and called for negotiations.

"We've already seen too much of it already and the two parties need to act with haste and seriousness in seeking a solution between them," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) said on Friday it was ending the protests because of the price civilians were paying.

ODM spokesman Salim Lone said: "Today is the last day of demonstrations. We have seen a lot of suffering caused by reckless police action against peaceful protesters."

He said the next tactic would be to undermine the government by targeting their sources of funding.

"We are now moving on to a new phase of the struggle and this will include initiating [an] economic boycott by consumers of large companies owned by hardliners around Mr Kibaki," Lone said.

Many protesters nevertheless vowed to return to the streets.

"We're very angry about this, and we will continue until Raila's in power," said 20-year-old Paul Oteyo from Kibera, as slum dwellers carried away the bodies of a man and a woman shot dead by police.

Police were on high alert in Nairobi and several western opposition strongholds yesterday, amid fears of fresh protests and violent action by ODM supporters against companies owned by members of Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe.

Odinga claims he was robbed of the presidency in last month's polls, saying Kibaki rigged the election. Odinga's party called the 76-year-old president "an eminent thief."
This story has been viewed 836 times.