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Death toll in Nakuru hits 60 as
clash rages
Published on January 28, 2008, 12:00 am
By Beatrice Obwocha and Karanja Njoroge
Sixty people have been killed in post-election violence in Nakuru.
The death toll is expected to rise as rival groups continued to
clash yesterday. Fifty-five bodies are lying at the Nakuru
Municipal Mortuary. The other five were yet to be collected from
the town’s estates.
The mortuary has a capacity of 42 bodies, but has been stretched
to the limit.
By yesterday evening, more than 100 victims were admitted to the
Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital nursing arrows, cuts and
bullet wounds.
Burning of houses continued in various estates as hundreds fled
from their homes. Police and military officers patrolled the town
and the suburbs to contain the violence that entered its third day
yesterday.
Unconfirmed reports said a military chopper patrolling the town
fired gunshots at Kwa Rhonda and Ng’ambo estates to scare away
marauding youths who were torching houses.
However, Nakuru deputy OCPD, Mr Mathew Gwiyo, said military
officers in the chopper fired shots in Bahati in Nakuru North
District to disperse youths armed with pangas, bows and arrows
burning houses.
"The military chopper is assisting police with aerial surveillance
and intervened when the situation got out of hand," he said.
At Sewage Estate, police had a hard time controlling two armed
groups from rival communities and had to fire in the air to
disperse them for the better part of yesterday morning.
Two people were found dead in the estate and bodies in Kaptembwa
and Sewage were yet to be collected by afternoon. At Githima
Estate, some youths torched houses that had been vacated and
General Service Unit officers struggled to put out the blaze as
the only fire engine in the town was burnt on Friday.
Gwiyo said armed youths were barricading roads in Lake View,
Sewage, Kaptembwa and Kiti estates, but police had been deployed
to the areas.
"The youth are engaging the police in cat and mouse games,
dispersing when they see the officers only to regroup elsewhere,"
he said.
In some areas, military officers helped those fleeing their homes
and ferried them in Army trucks.
Some of the displaced people sought refuge at Afraha Stadium,
Nakuru GK Prison, Kenya Wildlife Service offices and Lanet Police
Station opposite the military barracks.
Most of the victims at the camps had no food or shelter as
charitable organisations struggled to cope with the high number of
displaced people.
Some estates were no-go zones as youth armed with pangas, bows and
arrows barricaded roads with poles and rocks.
Nakuru town streets remained deserted and only a few shops and
supermarkets opened. Transport was paralysed for three days
running.
Those displaced at the Lanet Police Station appealed to the
Government and charitable organisations to come to their aid. Mr
Julius Ochieng’, a victim, said: "They should assist us with
transport to our homes as we are living in deplorable conditions."
Most of the victims said they had left property in their houses
and could not return to collect it as armed youths were still in
control of the estates.
At the Holy Cross Catholic Church, women and children expressed
fear over their security.
Ms Juliet Wangari, who sought refuge at the camp with her child,
said: "The Government should intensify security for we have
received threats from youths and we cannot take them lightly."
Outside the church, good Samaritans struggled to take a young man
who claimed he had been shot by police to the provincial hospital.
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