Uganda returns favour by taking Kenya's refugees

By Francis Kwera

MALABA, Uganda (Reuters) - Two weeks after violence erupted in Kenya over a disputed election, refugees are still trickling over the border into Uganda to reverse a tide of thousands that have fled bloodshed in the other direction.

Looking tired and fearful as they crossed the grassy, invisible frontier between the two nations, the Kenyans joined those waiting for food aid in makeshift camps near the hilly town of Malaba.

Officials say around 6,000 refugees have so far crossed into Uganda, from where tens of thousands fled civil war and brutal dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s into Kenya, once regarded as a beacon of stability in the region.

"For years, I have seen Ugandans coming to us for safety every time there was a crisis. I can't believe it's me now seeking refuge in Uganda," said Danson Kariuki, 48, who escaped after his milk business was burned by an angry mob.

Some 250,000 Kenyans were forced out of their homes by riots, looting and ethnically motivated attacks after President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election in a December 27 poll that opposition challenger Raila Odinga says was rigged.

The turmoil has killed more than 600 people. Some were victims of mobs targeting Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe in the Rift Valley, others were killed by police opening fire on protesters.

Aid agencies say tens of thousands have now returned home. Some have anything left to go back to after gangs torched their homes and businesses.

"I had a milk business, a house and a vehicle. Now I have nothing," said Kariuki.