NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 1 – Two children are among four people killed during clashes in Nairobi’s Kibera slum following a flare-up of violence on Saturday, police said.
The children were burnt in one of the houses which was set ablaze during the chaos while two men were hacked to death.
Dozens of other people were wounded, with many sustaining machete cuts and were receiving treatment at various hospitals including the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
The killings occurred when members of two communities living in Kisumu Ndogo area of the slum clashed over a disputed plot where a Seventh Day Adventist Church had been constructed.
"We have deployed security forces to calm the tension, and the officers will remain there until total calm is restored," area deputy Police chief Fredrick Ochieng’ said.
Mr Ochieng’ said several suspects had been arrested over the chaos and subsequent killings, and would be arraigned in court on Monday.
A senior Administration Police officer told Capital News that charred remain of the two children were discovered on Saturday night, long after the fire had been put out.
"They were burnt beyond recognition. They were pulled out and taken to the city mortuary to await formal identification," the officer said.
The two other people were hacked to death when members of rival communities clashed, prompting one group to set some houses ablaze.
"One of the men was ambushed as he walked home while the other was among the people who were demonstrating," a senior police officer said, quoting witnesses.
Anti-riot police fired shots in the air and lobbed teargas to rioters in daylong running battles that went on until late on Saturday.
Police said they were investigating reports that the gang that was causing mayhem may have been hired by a private developer to help him reclaim the disputed plot.
On Sunday, an uneasy calm had returned to the area and security forces were still patrolling the slum but no more casualties had been reported.
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