* * *
Elsewhere, continued rioting prevented the Red Cross from entering trouble spots. The man on the left is Abbas Gullet, secretary general of the Red Cross and Kenya’s Person of the Year.
* * *
A moment of disgruntled calm in the back yard of a Kibera household, the day after the first night of riots.
* * *
But moments of peace were the exception, as the slum kept burning day and night.
* * *
With Odinga refusing to accept defeat, rumours spread faster than news via SMS. At one point, word went out (falsely) that Kibaki had resigned; the main road leading out of Kibera and into Nairobi filled with thousands of fiercely joyous Odinga supporters.
* * *
But no sooner had they reached the city proper than they were turned back by the water monster.
* * *
A ghostly calm descended on Nairobi, presided over by hundreds of crack troops. In other cities across Kenya, the absence of a military presence led to widespread looting and an estimated loss of $350 million (Cdn) a day.
* * *
A fairground near Kibera became a refugee camp for the hundreds of families whose houses were burnt down. Few had time to grab anything more than their children. They had nothing to eat and no blankets until the Red Cross showed up two days later. When word got out that food had been delivered, armed hooligans tried raiding the fairgrounds but were turned back by security.
* * *
After the attack, guards would only let women and children inside the grounds. But as supplies run out once more, even these are being turned away. A crowd of well over 100 desperate young mothers had gathered at the gates when I visited, begging to be let in.
* * *
As the situation drags on, there is little to do but wait and watch the tension build, and wonder what will happen next.
