Opposition leaders at risk. According to Reuters, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) member of parliament David Kimutai Too, was killed, along with an unidentified woman, in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret by a traffic Police officer … The death of Ainamoi MP, David Kimutai Too, happened only 2 days after the assassination of ODM MP Melitus Mugabe Were. For what ever reason David Kimutai Too was killed, it demonstrates that the government is not providing protection and security for opposition politicians. — Eyes on Kenya

Coming to grips with Kenya. As the African Union’s commission chairman said today, Kenya used to be “the hope of a continent” – a third world nation bootstrapping it’s way to success. Now it’s a mess, with over 850 dead and a de facto civil war after contested elections … I know a fair bit about Iraq and Afghanistan because both the US and UK are militarily involved there. I follow events on Iran, Syria, North Korea, China, Russia and others because both nations are involved in negotiations or might get militarily involved there. But I’m embarrassed as hells that an African success story can turn into a failed state almost overnight and I don’t know enough to comment. Time to rectify my mistake. — at-Largely

The writing’s on the wall. When you find yourself talking with several guests of the morbid situation of your country during the wedding of one of your friends, you quickly realize there is something wrong with your country. When your National broadcasters show men being dragged out of public service vehicles and hacked to death by a mob of young men who do not even hide their faces from the police a few metres away, and such scenes are repeated more than the advertisements and commercials, then your country is doomed. — Kenyan Pundit

The next Rwanda? The beginnings of this conflict invoke images of Rwanda. The death of regional leaders in a plane crash removed the central authorities that united ethnic rivals under a tense peace resulting in one of worst genocides in the modern era. Kenya once served as a model for democracy and a hub of African tourism for Westerners. On Wednesday, many of the wire services ran stories about a German tourist hacked to death in a Kenyan resort. The situation is quickly spiraling out of control. — War crimes blog, Foreign Policy Association

On the ground in Kenya. My first day on the ground in Kenya, I went into Mathare with a group of photographers after hearing that there had been some problems. Two mobs were facing off on the main street leading into the Nairobi slum. Once the dust had settled, I met an Italian photographer by the name of Enrico Dangnino. He was pretty shaken up. He had blood stains on his clothes and told me that earlier in the day they had witnessed a near lynching but were able to save the man’s life. The report from that day is now up on the internet and can be viewed on the Paris Match website. — The Vigilante Journalist