Kenya violence casts gloom over Annan mediation

By Daniel Wallis

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Ethnic violence in Kenya's Rift Valley is undermining attempts by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to mediate a crisis that has killed more than 700.

On Saturday, Annan said turmoil over President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election had evolved into something worse, denouncing "gross and systematic" human rights abuses after visiting the Rift Valley and calling for an investigation.

Nakuru, a previously calm tourist town, has been rocked by three days of pitched tribal battles.

"Let us not kid ourselves and think that this is an electoral problem. It's much broader and much deeper," he said.

"We have to tackle the fundamental issues that underlie what we are witnessing today. If we do not do that, three, five years from now we may be back at this."

The turmoil unleashed by the December 27 polls has shattered the east African nation's image of stability, horrified world powers and jeopardised the region's most promising economy.

But many Kenyans say leaders on both sides of the political divide show few signs of addressing deep-seated tribal rivalries over land, business and power -- many of them born more than 45 years ago under colonial rule.

Nakuru, a lakeshore town, had been spared the riots and bloodshed that have convulsed parts of Kenya since the vote, which opposition leader Raila Odinga accuses Kibaki of rigging.