Post-Election violence in Eldoret, Nakuru and Naivasha was organised by businessmen and political leaders, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed.
The report – Ballots to Bullets, Organised Political Violence and Kenya’s Political Crisis of Governance – claims leaders held meetings to prepare residents for ‘war’ if they lost the election.
Presenting the report on Monday, human rights researcher, Mr Ben Rawlence, called on the Government to prosecute perpetrators of chaos and restore trust of victims.
“The coalition government should support the inquiries established under the February 2008 mediation process to investigate abuses by State forces and those responsible for violence,” he said.
“As displaced people move to their ancestral homes, there is real risk that ethnic jingoism will increase and tensions rise as victims share their stories,” warns the report.
To forestall further polarisation, the HRW group recommends a safe return or re-location of displaced populations.
