Religious groups and human rights organizations in Kenya urged calm as a second week of rallies over cost of living increases fueled fears of further carnage. President William Ruto also pledged to punish criminals responsible.
Raila Odinga, who lost the August election to current President William Ruto, has called for rallies every Monday and Thursday to protest the growing cost of food and other needs.
On Monday night, arsonists in Nairobi’s impoverished Kibera district burnt a church, many stores, and a mosque. A person was shot and murdered in Kisumu, a city in western Kenya, near Odinga’s family origins.
Kenyan media reported that an unidentified gang had trashed the house of Odinga’s family and the farm of ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta, who had supported Odinga in the election.
The police have pledged to investigate the situation. The supporters of the administration and the opposition accuse each other of being responsible for the violence.
The country was ripped apart by ethnic conflict after the disputed election of 2007. Religious leaders are concerned that the current upheaval may lead to a replay of that tragedy.
The Inter-Religious Council of Kenya released a statement urging politicians to “stop and desist” from using “inflammatory language. They have been using it to “promote harsh postures” and “incite their ardent fans,” which had led to the violence.
They also wanted politicians to communicate with them.
Monday’s violence, according to Irungu Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International in Kenya, affected people of all religions and ethnicities.
