Dozens killed and thousands displaced in land clashes

At least 30,000 people have been displaced and 60 killed in continuing clashes over land in the western Mt Elgon District of Kenya, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said on Wednesday.

"As I speak to you now, the fighting is going on," Linet Atieno, information officer for the KRCS, said. "Houses are being torched and we expect more IDPs [internally displaced people]. Some of the IDPs who tried to go back to their farms have been hurt and some killed."

According to the KRCS, the displaced, mostly women, children and the elderly, had sought refuge at market places, with relatives in nearby locations or had fled to neighbouring areas such as Kaptama, Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia and parts of Busia.

Situated along the Kenya-Uganda border, Mount Elgon District has four administrative divisions: Cheptais, Kapsiro, Kapsokwoni and Kaptama, with an estimated 135,033 inhabitants.

"The area is very cold and full of mosquitoes; some IDPs are suffering from pneumonia and malaria," Atieno added. "We have now arranged for a medicine consignment and will start giving medical aid to pneumonia and malaria cases, victims with bullet wounds, cuts and burns, diarrhoea and other medical conditions."

Two Roman Catholic clerics in the area accused police of using excessive force in their efforts to restore calm. "The operation has resulted in beatings, maiming and killing of innocent people," John Obingo and Emman Kizito said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 16 schools failed to reopen for the new term on 8 January.

Authorities in neighbouring Uganda said dozens of families had fled the clashes and sought refuge in Manafwa District across the border. Eastern Ugandan police commander Taire Idwege said most of the families had crossed the border over the last month.

The current violence erupted when the government controversially allocated land to squatters and settled 1,732 families in Chepyuk in 2006. Intermittent clashes were reported throughout the year and the violence got worse in December.

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