Kenya in Crisis

Monica Waithira, age 67, and her family warm their hands over a fire in the park in Nairobi. They have been living at the entrance to a Kenyan Air Force base since Jan. 1, when thugs attacked their home and killed all of their animals except for one young lamb. Waithira is now bottle feeding the lamb and plans to keep it as a pet. She doesn’t know when she will be able to go home. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 3:33 AM PT

This was supposed to be a model for a continent. With a thriving economy and two free, fair elections under its belt, Kenya was praised for largely avoiding the ethnic wars that plagued many of its neighbors. But in less than two weeks, much of that progress appears to have unraveled, and many are expressing concern about the long-term effects -- not only for Kenya, but for the region.

Women line up for soap in a park at the entrance of an air force base in Nairobi, where they have been camping since violence broke out in the wake of Kenya’s disputed presidential election. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Men walk toward Nairobi’s city center from the outskirts of the capital. The progress Kenya had made appears to have unraveled in two weeks of ethnic-based, post-election violence, which has left 500 dead. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Campaign posters for Raila Odinga can still be seen throughout Nairobi. The opposition candidate has called for three days of nationwide protests beginning Jan. 16, after efforts to end the election crisis by forming a coalition government failed. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Kenya in Crisis

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