It is now three weeks since the announcement of election results in Kenya, and the post-election violence and fighting continues. It seems that the incentives for the principal protagonists to reach a peaceful resolution are outweighed by the incentives to continue fighting, and so the country suffers, particularly the people who are most vulnerable.
The Daily Nation reports that the government has appointed a committee to lead peace negotiations, and the opposition has indicated that it will not co-operate with such “negotiations”. The opposition has repeatedly stated that it will only engage in negotiations in the presence of a respected international mediator, while the government has refused to engage in negotiations under such conditions. So, three weeks have gone by, without negotiations.
In the meantime, more people have been killed in ethnic violence over the weekend, adding to the number of unarmed protesters shot dead by police last week. Five people were murdered with arrows during a raid by armed youths in Kipkelion District on Saturday night, and various others were killed with machetes and other weapons in other parts of the country.