( dpa ) - At least ten people were killed as fresh violence erupted in Kenya, with angry mobs torching dozens of houses in chaos that has plagued the East African nation since allegedly flawed elections last month, local media reported Monday.
The violence comes a day before former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan is set to arrive in the country to jump start a new round of mediation to find a political solution to the conflict that has marked a disturbing change in the usually peaceful nation.
Ethnic-based violence in the Mathare slum in the capital Nairobi left at least three people hacked to death by machete Sunday, while at least three other cities saw gruesome violence at the weekend, the independent Daily Nation reported.
More than 600 people have been killed in the wave of bloodletting that has pitted slum-dwellers against police bullets as well as Kenyans against each other in a conflict that has touched off deep- rooted ethnic tensions simmering below the surface for years.
The opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Raila Odinga charges President Mwai Kibaki stole the win in last month's hotly-contested vote and has vowed to continue mass action until the votes are recounted or Kibaki steps down.
The polls triggered violence that has pitted Odinga's Luo tribe against Kibaki's Kikuyu ethnic group, with some of the country's 42 other ethnicities linking up with either side.
Demonstrations, which last week plunged Nairobi's slums into chaos, are set to restart on Thursday even after the ODM announced it would switch its pressure tactics to economic boycotts.
The European Union aid chief Louis Michel called Saturday for an end to the protests.