Chaos Continues in Kenya

by: Jennifer Kumar

The news reports overwhelm me. People forced from their homes, or padlocking themselves inside. Leaving the house is not an option for some as leaving means their home would be looted and burned. Though that seems to happen to some even if they are staying home.

Though I don't know the particulars, the streets have been quiet and many shops closed, or open for few hours. Many shops have been looted, and so supplies are short. People are running out or have ran out of food, as one man said in the video report below, that he has not eaten for three days. I further would guess that dead roads coupled with a lack of supplies can only increase tensions. (In fact as I write this, the situation has got worse as reported in the Thinker's room, where it is stated, "Goods are being held at the port at the request of buyers for fear that they will be looted/destroyed en route." source)

This violence is not confined to Nairobi, though most reports I have read or seen originate from Nairobi. For instance, a British family living as expats in Kimusu, [Western] Kenya report they were forced to flee the home with their three week old baby, leaving everything- clothes, food, and identification papers, behind. (video)

I found a few good blogs to follow, one of which, the RSS feed is in the left column- Kenyan Pundit. The other site is Thinker's Room - there is first hand and second hand reports of what is going on enhanced with many photos. I give the author of this blog a lot of credit for taking those photos. Click here for the blog.