KENYA is enjoying an uneasy calm almost a month after the country was rocked by violence in the wake of a disputed presidential elections. Hundreds of families continue to leave their homes in volatile areas, especially in Rift Valley Province, for fear of fresh attacks even as international mediators such as the Chairman of African Union, Ghana’s John Kufour, archbishop Desmond Tutu and other religious leaders preached peace. Churches and traditional places of refuge in times of distress have not been spared in this post election violence and hundreds of refugees have crossed the boarder into Uganda.

After a long period of waiting for the declaration of results of the December 27 polls, the declaration and swift swearing in of the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki and the immediate rejection of the results by the ODM leader Raila Odinga set the whole nation on fire leading to the death of almost 600 people.

The European Union observers of the elections have criticised the way some of the votes were counted, including anomalies between the results announced locally and nationally.

The Law Society of Kenya has called for Mr Kibaki to step down, saying the election was "not credible" and the announcement of a winner "unacceptable",.

ODM leader Raila Odinga has also rejected President Kibaki's proposals for a coalition government. Mr Odinga said ODM wanted international mediation to defuse the crisis facing the country.

After meeting separately with Mr Odinga and President Kibaki to find a political solution to the violence Mr Kufour urged Kenyan’s to allow a team of mediators led by the former UN Chief Kofi Annan to continue the mediation effort.

Though Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutu has repeated the Government's opposition to international mediation saying the crisis would be dealt with internally.

Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund has warned that if the postelection crisis was not addressed, Kenya faced an economic catastrophe.

Managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said IMF was concerned that supply disruptions due to the violence had affected neighbouring countries.

As part of efforts to stop further attacks, police have announced an additional 100 mobile telephone hot-lines.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has also started sending relief food to displaced people all over the country and to slum dwellers in Kibera and Mathare. The groups in the slums are multi-ethnic and cut across the political divide.

President Kibaki and Mr Odinga have been urged to start dialogue to get the country out of the current impasse but the two are yet to meet.

Kenya often referred to as a beacon of democracy and stability on the continent is losing about $30 million a day from suspended tourism activities.

A sense of normalcy was returning to the country with schools reopening as at the time of going to press.