A Kenyan director of a nonprofit

Although ethnic divisiveness is no stranger to Kenyan politics,
no one anticipated the level of violence that has engulfed
Kibera and much of Kenya.  The situation on the ground is
deteriorating rapidly as each day passes.  Stores in
Nairobi are looted and people, particularly the poor, are
running out of food.  Food prices are soaring. Large swaths
of Kibera are burned to the ground. Criminal opportunists
have joined the fray and there are incidents of wanton violence. 
Yesterday we received reports that a group of community
members repelled a gang of thugs from looting and burning
our center.  

It should be noted, however, that those perpetrating the
violence in Kibera number perhaps in the hundreds.  Over
700,000 people, half of whom are under the age of 15,
reside in the slum. Nevertheless, the level of hatred and
divisiveness throughout Kenya today is unprecedented. 
People are afraid, and those with the means are fleeing
from Kibera and other multi-ethnic communities racked by
violence. Each day of violence besets the next and further
solidifies more ethnic enmity. 

The violence must stop now. Efforts to unite Odinga and
Kibaki and encourage these leaders to lead and bring a
halt to the violence have thus far been futile. None of
these leaders have been on the ground in Kibera since
the violence began.