125 dead in Kenya election violence

In Kibera, a sprawling slum of Nairobi, youths armed with machetes, wooden posts and iron bars tore down shacks and looted whatever was left to take. Similar scenes played out across the country in the third day of opposition riots to protest what they contend is election-rigging.

Police reported 125 people killed, dozens of them in the western town of Kisumu, one of the hardest-hit areas. Witnesses said many were shot by police.

"The police were just firing live bullets. There were two lorries [trucks] going around picking up bodies. I saw 10 bodies and there were more in other areas," said a 37-year-old Kisumu resident who gave only his surname, Obok. "The fighting is still going on. The situation is very bad."

"This town is no longer a town," said another witness, Michael Makangu, 32. Protesters "burned all the buildings they could get." Amid chaos and allegations of irregularities in the ballot count after Thursday's election, President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition candidate Raila Odinga and was hastily sworn in for another five-year term Sunday.

The Bush administration "urged all parties to call on their supporters to remain calm and respect the rule of law," Scott Stanzel, a deputy White House press secretary, said Monday in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush was spending the New Year's holiday.

A statement by the U.S. Embassy expressed concern about the "serious problems" in the count, but deplored the violence. European observers said the election lacked credibility.

The bitter dispute over the vote could undermine Kenya's democracy, which had been considered one of the most vibrant on the continent. The opposition's only recourse is court, but Odinga has scorned the judiciary as Kibaki appointees who will not deliver justice.

If unchecked, the violence and looting also could damage Kenya's booming economy.

Kenyan voting patterns run along tribal lines, and Thursday's election was no exception. The Luos and other tribes resent what they see as dominance by Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, which is the country's largest. Election disputes often spill into tribal violence, in this case, opposition Luos beating Kikuyus.