30 burnt alive in church as Kenya poll violence toll reaches 300

At least 30 people were burnt alive in a church on Tuesday in Kenya, where the death toll from days of violence triggered by disputed presidential elections looked set to pass the 300 mark.The victims had taken shelter in the Kenya Assemblies of God church in the western town of Eldoret as they sought to escape escalating tribal clashes that have fuelled the post-election unrest.

The incident is likely to raise concerns that the violence could develop into a full-blown ethnic conflict. “At least 30 burned to death,” a police commander told AFP. Another 10 people died after their house was torched in the port of Mombasa which has witnessed several nights of tit-for-tat tribal killings.

Earlier on Tuesday, EU monitors cast doubts on the results of the December 27 poll, so increasing pressure on re-elected President Mwai Kibaki who was sworn in on Sunday despite widespread vote-rigging allegations.

A second consecutive day of conflict and clashes between police and protestors left more than 110 dead. World leaders called on Kibaki and defeated opposition candidate Raila Odinga to open a dialogue, but Odinga said he would only talk when the president owned up to fraud.