Two kllled, scores injured in clash-torn slum
Tension was high after two men were killed in the violence-torn Kariobangi estate in Nairobi. Five people have been arrested following the early morning orgy on Wednesday, which left scores of Darfur residents injured. One of the victims was slashed to death while the second was stoned in the chaos. A third man was also attacked and seriously injured before being taken to hospital. On Wednesday, majority of residents were virtually prisoners in their houses, as they could not venture out for fear of attacks.
Witnesses said one of the victims was hacked as he was heading to the nearby matatu stage to board a vehicle to work.
“They cornered him a few metres from Kanyama and hacked him to death. He suffered multiple injuries on the head and died on the spot. His body has been taken to the City Mortuary,” said a witness, Mr Omondi Otieno.
Otieno said the victim was the third man to be hacked at the same place in as many days, adding that the matatu stage had become a no-go zone for residents of Darfur, in Gitathuru area. The other man was cornered and stoned in the slum at about midday.
Police say 63 people have been killed in various parts of the country since Friday, bringing to 696 the number of the dead in the post-election violence.
In Kariobangi, the tarmac road ringing the area has been transformed into a temporary boundary, with the two combatants residing in either side keeping to their side.
Kasarani OCPD, Mr Paul Ruto, said enough police officers had been deployed to the area to ensure safety of lives and property.
“We are holding five suspects in connection with the murder of one man this morning. We are also looking for more suspects,” said the OCPD.
Wednesday, heavily armed police patrolled the area as they kept the two sides from tearing at each other.
As late as midday some residents could be seen peering through drawn curtains behind their double-locked doors for fear of the mobsters. In a three storied building some children who had skipped school could be seen waving at passers-by, while kiosks and shops remained closed for the better part of the day.
“We have not known peace the whole night. The fighting started around midnight and stones were used as weapons. It is very unsafe here. I do not know for how long we can continue living like this,” said a resident, who sought anonymity.
Tired of living behind the barricaded doors, some residents moved out of the area under armed escort.
“I do not know where I am relocating to. I do not want to live here anymore. I will go mad if I spend another night like this,” said a resident, who did not give his name.
A non-governmental organisation, Medicine Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders), attended to the sick and those injured in the skirmishes.
East African Standard
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